Treasured
by Agent Moonlight
Summary: Every blessing has a price, and Yukine learns he has one too when he is forced into an underground auction for blessed regalias.
1. Chapter 1

Yukine eyed the jacket and was half-tempted to sniff it.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Yato had stopped in the middle of the barren pathway to gaze back at him.

Yukine scowled without looking away from his clothes. "Your hands were extra drippy tonight." He heard Yato make a choked sound, as if it pained him to be reminded of what -in Yukine's opinion- had to be a sweat gland disorder, but Yukine was too preoccupied with his search for sweat stains to care. "Shouldn't you get this condition checked? I'm sure Hiyori can get you a discount if you go to her parents' hospital." He had just bought this jacket and he didn't want Drippy's excessive sweating to leave it in ruins so soon. It wasn't like he wanted to be reimbursed with a jug of five yen coins, assuming Yato had the decency to do that -unlikely.

"It's not a condition!" Yato huffed, crossing his arms and turning up his nose like a pretentious child who had been told to eat his vegetables. Yukine sent him a disbelieving expression after deciding he would not be able to pinpoint potential wet spots anytime soon. The jacket was simply too dark under the dim street lamps for him to discern dampness using sight alone.

Yato grew more indignant, his posture straightening to convey his conviction as he shouted -despite how Yukine had moved to stand at his side- back. "I was only sweating so much because you're a slave driver!" He cleared his throat, and in a tone pitched high enough to rival a prepubescent girl, he repeated, "Get a move on, tracksuit! I thought you said you wanted to be a god of fortune?! You have to defeat a hundred ayakashi in one hour or-" Yukine smacked Yato with enough force to bowl him over and send him pinwheeling.

The shinki dusted his hands off even as Yato crashed headfirst into a steel street pole. "I do not sound like that, baka!" Yukine eyed his incompetent master in disdain, completely unrepentant as Yato wobbled into a stand and gently probed the lump forming under his dark hair.

"Yukinnneee! That hurt!" Yato whined, cradling his head while crocodile tears streamed down his face to glitter under the moonlight. He even threw out a couple of sniffles for dramatic effect.

Though Yukine just shook his head in disbelief, decided he was done with this, and started hurrying down the sidewalk. "As your hafuri, I recommend you walk it off and stop crying like a baby."

He hoped that would be the end of discussion but of course it was not to be. Yato slung an arm around his shoulders -great, now there was _definitely_ sweat on his jacket- and nearly toppled Yukine over as he leaned his full weight upon him. "But Yukine, you're _my_ baby, not the other way around!" Yato was smiling a wide teasing grin, sky blue eyes alight with good humor. Yukine could not stop the blush from crawling up his neck and coloring his cheeks a sunset pink, which led to Yato's grin expanding to show off teeth as he no doubt caught sight of the blush in his peripheral vision.

Yukine lowered his head to hide his face and had the sudden urge to toss his jacket's hood over his head."S-Shut up!"

"Aww, my baby isn't denying it! So cute!" He stretched his free hand to pinch Yukine's flaming cheeks, but Yukine smacked the appendage away and elbowed him to the side.

"T-The only baby around is you!" He roughly stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and growled lowly in the back of his throat, but his cheeks had yet to cool and Yato knew he was still embarrassed, according to the hearty laughter that came from beside him.

Which was cut off so suddenly, Yukine nearly tripped in his effort to stop and glance back at the abruptly silent god.

"Umm, Yato?" Yukine's forehead crinkled when he took in the expression on his master's face and his heart thrummed a bit faster. Yato's lips were a pencil thin line and his eyes were narrowed as they slid from one side of the park to the other. Even his posture had shifted so his feet were spread apart -perhaps without his knowing- and Yukine had been his shinki long enough to recognize this as his battle stance.

Yukine braced himself for the call to become a weapon, but after a moment where neither shinki nor master moved -not even to breathe in Yukine's case- Yato appeared to ease down. "It's nothing." Yukine was not reassured as the sharp edge of discomfort intruded on and trampled his former feelings of peace. Though he only realized his mistake when discomfort caused his master to grimace.

"Sorry..." Yato waved him off before he had finished the word.

Then to Yukine's surprise, he flung his arms up and stretched while releasing a yawn loud enough to rival a tiger's roar. "Wow, it's so late," A cheeky grin -albeit smaller than usual- replaced Yato's guarded expression in an obvious attempt to show Yukine there was nothing to worry about.

He wasn't sure if it was more for his sake or Yato's, but Yukine appreciated the attempt nonetheless. "I'm starting to hear things." The god continued to beam a self-deprecating smile on Yukine as he walked up to him. "What can I say? These old ears aren't what they used to be, huh, Yukine?" The tone was light, his body sagged, and yet Yato could not regenerate the same air of casualness he had a minute ago. His eyes gave him away, now dark and chilled as the open sea when a storm was about to turn the water rough.

"What did it sound like?" Yukine tilted his head in genuine curiosity, a wary part of him born of the many battles they had been through together, forcing Yukine to address Yato's cover-up. Yato was clearly taken aback, his lesuirely stroll ending as soon as it had began, and he hesistated to reply.

Only to have his mouth snap open. "Sekk-"

A blinding white light broke out between master and regalia, cutting off the rushed summons and leaving Yato trapped in a triangle prison of light.

The two stared at each other with mirrored expressions of shock and Yukine felt his heart plummet to his shoes when he fully registered what was occurring. "Y-Yato?!"

"Confine!" A trio of voices came from all around them and thus nowhere discernible. Yukine whipped his head back. He scanned the shadowed tree line, his amber eyes darting from tree to shrub repeatedly in an attempt to discern their attackers through the wildlife.

"Yukine!"

He started, spun to face Yato, and registered the terror and icy fury in those cerulean eyes prior to noticing they were looking past him.

Yukine didn't aim before he threw out a borderline strong enough to trim the hedges behind him, but he had only just registered no one was there when arms caught his torso from the right instead.

"Hey!" Yukine struggled in the grasp of what felt like a masculine body, but could see nothing of his assailant except for the meaty arm that had coiled around his stomach in a crushing grip and pinned his fisted hands to his side. When another arm locked around his neck to the point he gagged, his heart began pounding a wild and mad beat against his rib cage.

"Let him go, you bastard!" Yato was screaming a savage combo of insults and threats that Yukine could not afford to focus on as he fought a losing battle. "Let him go now!" His fists slammed against his entrapment in a show of force Yukine knew from experience had to be bruising his hands.

Fueled by Yato's enraged screaming and his own survival instinct, Yukine struggled to kick his silent attacker. However, no matter how hard the back of his shoes connected to the legs of his assailant, the man stood rock solid as if he were truly made of stone rather than flesh. In fact, his ineffective attacks seemed to merely annoy the man who now tightened his hold on his throat until the last of his air was strangled out in a final wheeze. Yato's endless stream of demands faded and Yukine's legs flailed in a desperate, uncoordinated attempt to prevent his own strangulation.

"Yukine!" Yato's eyes were smoldering embers of blue fire. The desperation and fury that stoked their flames were hot enough to sear through the dull amber of his own eyes and pierce through his panic.

"Y-Yato." Yukine croaked, still thrashing weakly when he sensed a new presence form on his right.

He was too exhausted to look away from the infuriated eyes of his master before a new voice whispered, "Sleep."

Yukine's eyes were already fluttering close when his body followed the command against his will. Yato's thunderous expression was highlighted by the light of his entrapment, and this was the last image he saw before Yukine was thrust into a fitful slumber.

* * *

 **I wanted this to be a one-shot, but now I've got a multi-chapter story on my hands...whoops...**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this prologue and I swear the next two chapters will be much longer as we get into the meat of this story. Hopefully I can get the next update up in a week tops, but until then feel free to let me know what you think of this so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favs! They're all dearly appreciated. ;D**

 **Now enjoy the read!**

* * *

Yukine awoke on the wooden floorboards and inwardly groaned. Young as he was, he knew his back would be aching all day from sleeping on the hardwood surface. He must have rolled out of his futon, which was surprising since he typically didn't move in his sleep -Yato did enough of that for the both of them.

Frigid fingers peeled apart his eyelid and Yukine instinctively smacked the cold hand to the side, his eyes flying open.

"W-Who?" He took in the young woman leaning over him, her plastic gloved hand holding onto his wrist while her other gloved hand hovered over his face. Her emerald eyes coolly regarded him and a disquieting feeling churned Yukine's insides.

He was not in his attic, but in a concrete room that reminded him of a basement. His anxiety continued to pile up when he realized he was lying on a metal examination table, and he didn't have to look down to know that his dignity was only protected by a thin white sheet resting just above his waist while his chest was exposed.

"Get away!" Yukine yanked his hand free from the woman and flung himself up, but yelped when electricity sparked around his neck in a brief zap. It didn't hurt so much as it surprised him, and his surprise reached a peak when he patted the area around his throat and felt a warm, thin metal encircling it.

"You aren't authorized to move yet," Yukine flinched as he suddenly noticed there was a man leaning against the gray wall in front of him. He was standing by the only exit in the room, which led to a dimly lit hallway from what Yukine could see.

"Who are...?" He slowly picked up on the aurora that surrounded this guy and his eyes widened when he recognized it. It was the same aurora Tenjin held when he and Hiyori first met him, and while it was rare, he even felt this aurora come off Yato before. Though that only occurred at the start of a difficult battle -fighting Bishamon and trying to save Ebisu came to mind as instances where this particular feeling in the air was brought out of Yato.

This man's hair might have been a standard brown, his suit as black and white as any other businessman's, but his violet eyes held an unnatural sheen, and Yukine openly gaped when he recognized this man for the god he truly was.

The god's lips slanted up in a smirk that revealed the edge of teeth as he relished Yukine's awe. "I am called Masuta, which is fitting since I am the head of this operation and I do own over a dozen shinki."

"What operation?" Yukine's fingers pried at the metal encircling his neck. "And what is this?" His demand came out authoritative and unwavering despite how his heart fluttered erratically in his chest.

"That," The man flippantly gestured at Yukine's neck. "Is your teacher in discipline. We give them to all the newcomers." His smile held a razer-sharp edge and Yukine was already starting to hate that expression on his face.

"Newcomers to what?" Yukine felt frustration overshadow his fear at the moment, not in the mood to decipher cryptic rambling.

Masuta hummed, unperturbed by Yukine's attitude -perhaps even enjoying the challenge. "My operation is in the business of selling a rare merchandise." His tone was lax and yet there was an underlying heaviness to it that made Yukine lean back an inch. "We secure this product and then auction it off to the highest bidder."

It took him a second to place context to Masuta's words, but when he did Yukine's hands slipped off his collar and he paled. "You sell shinki?!"

"Yes," Masuta shrugged, completely nonchalant in his reply. "Blessed regalias to be exact, I do have a reputation to uphold after all." He clearly took satisfaction in this reveal and Yukine wondered exactly how many times he had given this explanation personally for the sake of his own amusement.

"Hey, shinki," Yukine refocused on the present, but saw Masuta's gaze had drifted to the right. He turned his head as well to regard the silent woman, and only now noticed he could see the edge of a red tattoo under the sleeve of her plain, white dress. "This one got a clean bill of health or what?"

She nodded and when her head bobbed, Yukine caught sight of a flash of metal glinting around her neck. He felt sick as it suddenly occurred to him that he was not the only shinki trapped here. In fact, as the memory of when he was taken returned to him, and he recognized that only a trio of shinki could have trapped Yato, he realized they all were probably in the same boat as him.

Blessed regalias were being _forced_ to help these creeps catch other shinki. It was a sickening thought and left Yukine speechless as he contemplated how his attackers last night might have been victims like himself.

"Perfect!" Masuta smiled a shark-like grin as he turned back to Yukine. "The master that buys you would complain if you were damaged. They always ask for a discount when that happens." He muttered the last part, sighing and crossing his arms in genuine annoyance. Yet Yukine did not care for his musings, his mind stuck on one word.

"Master?" His voice rose a decibel and his frame trembled. "But I already have a master!"

He felt his collar buzz in warning but there was no electricity as Masuta simply chuckled. "You mean you _had_ a master."

Yukine felt his breathing hitch and his horror soared to new heights. Then his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed, amber burning a fiery orange. "What did you do to Yato?!"

"Was that his name?" Masuta shrugged lazily.

Yukine felt a volatile mixture of worry and anger race through his veins and his body trembled as he fought to hold down these emotions. "Don't play games!" This time he really was shocked by the collar and he bit his lips to hold in the cry, but the god and shinki didn't seem to notice his pain or simply didn't care.

"He should be dead by now." Masuta pondered this like one pondered if it would be a stormy or sunny afternoon. "In fact, I should be getting a call any minute now about the job being done."

Yukine felt something fragile shatter inside his heart and the remaining shards scraped painfully together. "No..."

It couldn't be. Yukine's hand touched the red letters on his collarbone and he gazed down at them as if they would fade away any second. "He can't be dead." His entire being shook, his eyes had tears burning at their edges, and his breathing became ragged.

The idea that Yato was gone, no chance of reincarnation, simply gone without a single ripple... As if he'd never held that sweaty jacket out to him and promised he was safe the night he named him, as if he would never hear that idiot boast about his kid being the best regalia out there, as if he'd never have him hold him tight and tell him everything would be alright when he was crying and needed someone to listen.

"Yeah, well, it's not like we didn't give him a choice." Masuta was apathetic to the despair entrenched in Yukine's face. "We always ask them if they would just release their shinki, even offer them money to do it, but sadly most gods are stubborn." He shook his head in mock pity, brown tufts of hair swaying into his eyes. "And according to my men, your former master wasn't all that polite when we proposed this to him."

Yukine could not stop a lone tear from trickling down his cheek because of course Yato would refuse. He had sworn to never sell him even when given Ebisu's admittedly tempting offer. Sure, Yato was an obnoxious and childish nuisance most days, but when he made a promise, he _always_ kept it. Thus Yukine could easily imagine his god confined in that triangle prism of light, glaring at the man holding his unconscious body, and not even glancing at the offered suitcase of money before demanding they give him back his kid.

However, Yukine could also imagine what happened next. A sword drawn on his master, Yato without his hafuri to protect him and unable to escape his confinement as the blade swung down.

"I only sell quality products here," Masuta was talking more to himself than Yukine at this point. "And who wants a nora that might be used against them someday? That just doesn't bode well for most of my customers."

Yukine somehow mustered up a glare, though it was probably ruined by the tears prickling his eyes. "You're lying! The heavens wouldn't let you get away with murdering gods and kidnapping their shinki."

It had to be a lie, Yato had to be okay.

He had to.

Yet despite his inner reassurances, Yukine's hands would not stop shaking so he grasped the sheet resting on him and bundled the cloth in his fists to hide his fear.

"Yes, yes, the heavens definitely don't approve of us." Masuta sounded oddly proud, which took Yukine aback. "They have ended my business and others like me many times throughout the centuries, but we always come back." He straightened and held an air of superiority around himself.

"We're being smarter this time. We don't mess with the powerful gods, just the minor ones. It's so much easier to clean up when there's no reincarnations to deal with, and sometimes if we're lucky, the ayakashi do our job for us and take out those stubborn gods when they have no regalia to protect them."

Yukine hated how much sense it made, and how it caused the feeling of entrapment to bubble around his fledgling hope and encase it in stone. Yato wasn't the only minor god around, and it wasn't too far-fetched to think he was not the only minor god with a blessed regalia. No one would notice a few nearly-forgotten gods or their shinki disappearing. If a famous god did notice, they might simply assume the other god didn't have enough followers to survive.

Just how organized was this operation? Were they full of members with a wide network? A few random groups that didn't talk to each other? How long had they been around? If they were so experienced, what chance did Yukine stand in escaping them?

His amber eyes darted to the side and he regarded the blank-faced, silent woman with the sinking feeling that could be him soon.

A phone ring broke off Yukine's spiraling thoughts and he looked up to see Masuta was grinning. Only as he raised the phone to his ear did Yukine recall what this particular phone call meant.

 _Yato, no..._

Masuta was practically purring in satisfaction as he watched Yukine's horror like it was his favorite TV drama. "Is the job done?"

However, all feelings of despair were tossed aside when the caller shouted loud enough to make Masuta jerk the phone away and hold it out like one would a ticking bomb.

"Where is he?!"

Yukine was as stunned as Masuta when Yato growled on the line. Yet while Masuta frowned, Yukine's eyes shimmered as his tears became those of relief because Yato was okay!

"Tell me where my kid is now," Each word was grounded out through clenched teeth. "And I might let the goons you sent after me live." Yato's voice was a hiss that held not an ounce of patience.

Masuta regained some of his composure. "How did you esca-"

"Yato!" Yukine could not hold in the exultation of pure joy. "You're safe!" His smile was watery but vibrant and he didn't care how much Yato would tease him for this later because Yato was alright and he had not failed in protecting his master.

"Yukine?!" Yato's calm evaporated and the heat behind his words softened into a warm timbre. "Are you okay? Where-"

Yukine screamed as electricity burned his throat and he fell back onto the metal surface with a clang. He thought he heard yelling from a distance as his own screaming increased when the voltage was upped. His limbs spasmed without his contest and he felt his neck blistering while he screamed his lungs dry.

It truly felt as if he had been screaming for years when the electrocution died down and Yukine was left shaking uncontrollably as his heart thumped erratically and he could only breath in quick, sharp gasps.

"-did you do?!" Yato's voice barely reached him through his own panting breath and ringing eardrums. "I'll kill you-"

"No, _I_ am going to kill you." The amusement in Masuta's tone had vanished, his expression grim and eyes flat. "Do what you want with my men, they won't talk, but if you try to call this number again, that pain you undoubtedly felt from your shinki," Now those flat eyes were trained on Yukine, pinning him where he laid even as he finally recaptured his breath. "Will not compare to the pain you'll feel as you fade away to nothing, little god."

Yato did not hesitate to counter. "I am going to find you," There was an undercurrent of fury beneath every syllable and a steely calm in his voice that Yukine could tell was just temporarily holding back a barrage of threats. "And when I do-"

Masuta hung up with a click of a button and then eyed the phone without a hint of emotion. After a second, he stuffed it back into his pants' pocket while his gaze shifted to stare at Yukine.

"Now I see where your temper comes from," He was smiling but Yukine thought it fell flat when the air around him was brimming with the god's ire. "But you're not the first shinki in need of an attitude adjustment." He looked away from him and regarded the woman Yukine assumed was Masuta's blessed regalia.

"Get him dressed already. I'm on a tight schedule now that I have a certain stray god to deal with."

Yukine flinched when the woman placed a thin, white clothing over his shoulders. A part of him wondered if he should use this time to fight back, but Masuta was watching him with those faintly glowing and calculating eyes. Furthermore, while he didn't understand how, Yukine knew Masuta controlled his collar and could easily shock him if he tried something. Plus he had garnered no sympathy from the shinki woman in the time he had been here, hence, it was a safe bet she would come to her master's aid rather than his if it came down to it.

Trapped, Yukine looked away from Masuta as shame and anger warred inside his heart. He was silently fuming, but outwardly complacent as his arms were placed into white sleeves. Though he did tear the clothing away from the woman when she got too close for comfort to his lower half. As he was instinctively tying the outfit around his torso, Yukine realized he had worn this before. The snow white kimono was near identical to the one he had on when he was first named by Yato. Was this a coincidence, and if so, what did this mean?

"Let's get a move on." Masuta was smirking as he walked up to the table and offered a hand to Yukine, but he quickly leaned away from the god.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Yukine crossed his arms and sat up straighter. He was prepared for a burst of electricity and braced himself accordingly, but was dumbfounded when Masuta merely shrugged before turning around to walk out the door.

Yukine raised an eyebrow, which rose another inch when the woman followed her master out the door. He was thrown off by the leniency the man had granted him and had the wild idea he was being let go.

Until he felt a harsh tug at his neck, choking him before flinging him forward and off the table. His knees hit the ground and he felt them already bruising as he grasped the collar around his neck in the vain hope it would loosen.

Masuta was standing in the hallway, his teeth appearing corn yellow under the dim glow of an overhead light bulb while he smirked at him.

"That's good, on your knees and getting ready to bow already." His right hand was clenched and raised as if he were holding something up.

Yukine waved his hands in the open air surrounding him because surely there was some sort of string or rope connected to the collar. Yet Yukine's hands made contact with nothing save wind resistance as he was dragged forward, knees scraping painfully against the floor, until he was inches away from Masuta.

"H-How are you doing this?" He managed to gasp out.

Masuta purple irises narrowed at him. "Not important, but as a shinki, you should know just because something can't be seen doesn't mean it's not there." He threw his fisted hand up high. Yukine was yanked to his feet and barely had time to trip into a stand.

Masuta marched him forward, so he tried dragging his bare feet on the smooth concrete floor, but it had little effect as he was forced to enter a broader hallway. There were roughly a dozen, silver doors reaching up to the hall's ceiling and marked with a thin opening near their tops. It reminded Yukine of solitary confinement in a prison, or a dog kennel considering his collar.

He tried to peer into each door they passed, wondering if his eyes would meet another pair, but all he could perceive was that each cell was drenched in darkness, which is why he had to hastily look away and reassure himself there were functioning light bulbs above him. Thus he turned to his sense of hearing, as much as he could while being dragged at such a fast pace, and he thought he might have heard the pattering of feet while passing the middle section.

Yet he was given no time to decipher which cell the sounds came from before he nearly fell over as Masuta released him. He swung his arms to regain his balance and saw the female shinki was holding a door open.

Inside was nothing but darkness and Yukine took a step back. "W-Wait," He was shoved from behind and when he twisted around to toss a borderline, he was assaulted with electricity until the door was thrown close.

"Be good, little regalia!" Masuta's voice was hardly audible through the thick door.

Then there was silence.

And Yukine was alone.

In the dark.

Despite how his throat burned, Yukine raised his voice as high as he could. "Stop! Come back! Let me out, please!" He frantically scrambled to a stand and slammed his palms onto the door. It was far too dark and he was trapped and he could hardly move, hardly breath, and someone please let him out, out, out!

"Let me out!" Yukine slid his hands all over the door in the slim chance he could find an opening to pry at, but it must have been too well-insulated because he couldn't find one. Now Yukine was coughing and choking and pleading as he banged his entire body against the door in a feeble attempt to escape.

He wondered if a shinki could die from fear because it certainly felt like he was drowning, for the darkness was a pool and he was drenched in it and tied down so he couldn't tell where up ended and down began. He couldn't even recall when he had collapsed, but he was on ground and sinking, sinking, sinking.

The hazy orange light peeked through the sliver of an opening in his door and landed on his raised chin and teary-eyed face. He stared straight into that light, allowing it to anchor him until he could breath more than sharp sobbing gasps. He wasn't sure how long he stared at it with unblinking eyes, but when he finally pried his gaze away the shadows around him were tinted yellow.

Calmer now, though still sick and dizzy with anxiety, Yukine started to take stock of his surroundings. His eyes had adjusted to the dark fairly quickly thanks to the light seeping in so he could tell his cell wasn't too big. The room was made of concrete like everything else, and after he walked around with a hand trailing on each of the walls, he guessed the room was two-thirds the size of his attic room.

Also the room was short, for when Yukine hopped as high as he could, he felt the fringes of his hair brush against the ceiling. The room was a tad too cool for comfort as well, probably since metal and concrete weren't the best conductors of heat and his clothing was paper thin. The oddest part of this room, however, was how clean it was. There weren't even dust bunnies from what his bare feet could feel and no grim had been collected on his hands despite how they had touched every wall. He wondered if it was clean like this to keep himself clean or because they didn't want him to see old blood stains or something equally gruesome.

Deciding that train of thought would not help him remain calm, Yukine moved on by bracing himself and making a halberd sign. The shock was brief because he instantly lowered his hand but still irritated his already abused neck.

As he figured, his captors had a way of watching him in case he tried to escape. He squinted as he searched for a camera in the upper corners of his cell, but after trailing his hands and poking his toes against the entire surface of the room, his search ended in failure.

For a moment, Yukine wondered what else he could do, and then he recalled the shuffling noise from earlier.

"Hello?"

He allowed a beat of silence to pass, then tried to call out louder.

His only reply was the warning buzz around his neck, so Yukine sighed before slumping down into a crouch. He was exhausted -perhaps due to the remnant "sleep" effects- and the time he had been awake had been filled with emotional tidal waves that only added to his exhaustion.

Yukine didn't want to be here. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be with Yato. His arms wrapped around his legs and he slowly rocked himself.

Was Yato okay? He hoped so, told himself Yato had faced powerful gods like Bishamon and lived to tell the tale, but then recalled how he had always been at his side when he did. Without his hafuri, Yato was defenseless. He might be safe if he stayed at Kofuku's place, but he knew that reckless god wasn't there. That idiot was probably out there looking for him, and the thought that Yato cared so much to risk his life in search for one lowly shinki broke the dam holding in Yukine's tumultuous emotions.

Tears swelled up behind his eyes because Yukine was useless and had failed as Yato's hafuri. For he had gotten himself kidnapped and now he was probably being a nuisance to Yato as the god no doubt felt Yukine's emotional state deteriorating.

Tears dribbled down the bridge of his nose because Yukine had no will to stop them, but after a minute of freely sobbing, he was stung by the collar and gasped. Apparently tears had became a luxury within the last hour.

He reigned in his tears till his sobbing was tamed into sniffles and ignored the memory of Yato encouraging him to let it out because he was no longer free to do so.

Yukine curled up into a small ball in the corner, and zeroed in on the dim light trickling into his cage. His last thought was that Yato might be spared his inner turmoil if he was asleep.

* * *

He was given no food or water for at least two days -he could only guess time without being able to see the outside world though. The first day it was more of an annoyance to ignore his grumbling stomach than a pain, but by the second, Yukine felt compelled to at least ask for some. He didn't beg -he wasn't _that_ hungry- but there was definitely desperation weaved into his wispy voice.

However, after hours passed, he figured the surveillance they had on him was only visual and not sound or they were ignoring him -probably the latter. Therefore he stopped shouting because it seemed pointless and his vocal chords were inflamed and starting to ache more than his empty stomach. It didn't help that his mouth was dry as a desert and every word that escaped him scraped uncomfortably against his sandpaper throat until it came out as nothing more than a raspy whisper.

Eventually he stopped pacing because it was merely depleting what little energy he had left so he sunk down against a wall with a low wail instead.

He contemplated if Hiyori had been told what happened to him, considering she was supposed to visit them the next afternoon after the night he'd been taken. They had decided to get ice cream at a local shop, using Yukine's and Hiyori's money while Yato mooched off them of course. Yukine smiled and huffed out what was nearly a laugh at the image of Yato stealing the strawberry off Hiyori's ice cream before Hiyori noticed and gave him a good smacking.

The spark of humor was promptly extinguished as his mind got back on track. Maybe Yato -assuming he was okay- lied about Yukine's disappearance to keep her from worrying. He could have told her Yukine was training with Kazuma and lost track of time, but Hiyori was getting good at reading Yato's tells and she might have figured out something was wrong anyway.

Also, Yato could never entirely hide the pain Yukine's negative emotions were gave him, and Yukine sincerely felt guilty that he was causing Yato any measure of pain. Yet being unable to cry or rant to another person had forced him to hold in a lot of toxic emotions. Thankfully, he didn't think the clotted ball of fear, anger, despair, and shame were strong enough for him to blight Yato.

Also, Yukine was certain sleeping did help -as long as there were no nightmares- so Yukine had been doing that as often as he could. In fact, the boredom he currently felt was causing him to drift off. He didn't fight his falling eyes as he ignored his rumbling stomach.

He dreamt of being in the attic, scribbling in a homework book while Hiyori explained the problem. Yet none of the equations made sense -the square root of ten did not equal strawberry ice cream- and Yato wasn't helping Yukine understand when he kept badgering them about the sand getting everywhere. He wanted Yukine to sweep the sand away before Daikoku made him do it, but it was sweltering hot in the desert they were in and Yato's hands were dripping all over his homework page.

Yukine ordered him to get that condition checked before his sweat formed a mini-oasis here, and Yukine did not question where Hiyori had gone because it was far too hot and where was the water? He needed it bad and he wondered if he could hide from the sun under his study table for a brief repose, but now the table was melting like Yato was melting until Yukine was melting too-

Yukine jerked awake, hands flying to his neck and fingernails clinking against the collar. His throat was parched, and though it was cool in the room, he felt feverish. He wondered if some part of him was still trapped in that dream about a desert -he was already forgetting the details- but the pain in his abdomen informed him he was very much awake. His stomach snarled and nipped at his insides, cramping up no matter how Yukine rubbed it and mentally begged it to understand he could not feed it.

He was aware he didn't have to eat to survive, but his stomach only seemed to know he was a teenage boy and growing boys needed to eat more than once every few days.

Yukine tried curling up in a corner, hands wrapped around his cramped abdomen, but the pain would not let him sleep, and in the quiet, his attempts to speak to it -because he really was that desperate- failed. His vocal chords were shot and his voice never made it past his chapped lips so his mouth moved but he endured the pain silently.

He wanted to talk to himself, regardless of if it made him look and feel crazy because it had been so quiet lately he was wondering if all those electric shocks had messed with his hearing. He wanted to listen to another voice besides his own, he wanted his stomach to shut up, and he yearned to have a good cry, but those were luxuries he no longer had. So with colossal effort, he resigned himself to misery, hugged his middle and squirmed on the floor until he was as comfortable as one could get on cold concrete.

After a few agonizing hours, he fell into a light slumber.

What woke him up minutes, hours, days maybe, later was the bright lighting. His first reaction to the pain in his eyes was that of confusion because he had forgotten what a fully lit room looked like, but then his sight adjusted to the change.

There was a shadowed figure standing in the open doorway, and Yukine had just pushed himself up on shaky arms when a tall glass cup was placed in front of him. He blinked at the clear liquid swishing inside it without comprehension.

Then he recognized the gift for what it was and swiped up the glass clumsily. He missed his mouth by a little and cursed himself when some of the water dribbled off the side of his lips as he gulped down the wonderful liquid.

A heavy hand fell onto his head and roughly petted the blond strands, and he ignored the part of him that was grateful for the touch because if he imagined he was at home, he could pretend it was Yato's or Daikoku's kind touch.

"You've been a good shinki." The petting continued but Yukine had not finished his drink and was too focused on giving his throat relief to care. "Keep this up and you might get a treat." He did not recognize the voice, and maybe that was because it was in that silly tone people used to talk to their babies or pets, but Yukine did not care -cared for nothing outside his own needs right now- until no more liquid would trickle out the glass.

He dropped the cup without a care in the world as he slumped against the wall and the hand left his head. He was gasping because he had not considered stopping for air as he inhaled that precious liquid rather than feed oxygen to his lungs. Thus he didn't think to try anything as the man grabbed the cup and closed the door behind him because he was solely focused on the way his throat was no longer scorched.

When he regained his senses, however, he felt shame worm a tunnel in chest until he was queasy. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter, they would have shocked him before he could have tried something regardless.

He reassured himself with that possibility for what he assumed was the next hour, but when he fell into a light doze, he dreamed he had fought back and slipped right through the door and Yato was standing there. His master beamed at him with such pride in his kid, who had saved himself and was such a strong blessed regalia, the best hafuri Yato could ask for really!

When he woke up from that dream and saw he was still in his cell, all he could imagine was Yato's silent disappointment as he gazed down at his weak, useless shinki. Yukine cried silent tears and hid his face in his sleeves just in case his captors were watching.

A small tan cookie was lying by his feet when he woke up the next day -hour?- and he eyed it, but his hunger had long since eased, body accepting it would not be fed no matter how it growled or pinched his intestines. Yukine continued to observe the sugar cookie that had not even been placed on a napkin but rested on the cold floor where he used to pace back when he had the will to.

 _"You might get a treat."_

The man's words came back to him and Yukine knew what this was.

A dog treat for good behavior.

Yukine crushed it until it was crumbs of sugar, and the tips of his fingers were covered in the crystallized dust, but he just wiped them off on his clothes before rolling over so his back was given to the cookie's remains.

He was staring at the wall, a common practice for him these days, his mind blank and eyes half-lidded when the door was opened a crack.

He didn't turn to regard it, felt no need to waste his nonexistent energy reserves or sting his eyes with the light flooding in.

"Get up." There was a thread of impatience in the man's tone, which Yukine ignored until he felt the warning buzz around his neck.

Yukine slowly turned his head to see a buff man standing there. He observed the teal eyes on that face, and idly wondered if this man was a god. He could sense no strong presence coming off him, but that could have just meant he was not as powerful or well-known as Masuta.

A short burst of electricity from around his neck convinced him to shakily lift his body so he was soon standing on wobbling legs because he had not stood in who knew how long -weeks or months?- and his feet dragged on the floor as he shuffled closer to the doorway.

He must not have been going fast enough though, because the man took a step inside his cell and grasped his upper arm tightly. He was then lugged forward into the dimly lit hallway and stumbled quite a bit when they first began walking, but found his footing soon enough. His mind was playing catch-up for a second, but when he finally understood he was in that same hallway from before, he wondered if he were truly awake because this was the most light and space he had been in for a long time.

"...What...are we...doing?" His voice cracked and quivered due to the abuse it had not fully healed from and prolonged disuse. His orange eyes noticed this was an unfamiliar hall as they turned a corner and left the prison cells.

"It's your lucky day, kid." The muscled man -god perhaps- led him in front of a wooden door and opened it. The lights flickered on in the room while Yukine attempted to decipher the man's vague statement.

"Get yourself cleaned up."

He was released, yet did not move as he peered into the tiled room. His eyes squinted against the bright light that glinted off the large, pearly white tub, which was spacious enough to be a hot spring and filled with steaming water. The assortment of shampoo and spectrum of wash cloths and towels laying on the tub's outer rim also took him by surprise because he had not seen anything that wasn't a shade of white, black, orange, or gray for what felt like years.

The only thing off with this inviting picture was the way the man had not left the room. Instead, the god was observing him. Yukine could discern no curtained or closed off area to give him privacy, which made trepidation bud within him.

"We can't take chances," The gruff god, whose beefy arms made him think they had met the night he was taken, took note of his dilemma. "Some regalias have tried things while in here alone."

Yukine felt more emotion than he had in a long time as he grasped what he meant, and had trying to drown themselves really been so appealing rather than the fate that awaited him?

Another more desperate and unstable part of him asked if any attempts had been successful and could he be too?

He shook his head roughly. Knowing that thought was beyond wrong, he heaved it back into the dark corner of his mind where it rightfully belonged. Yato needed him -assuming he was still safe- as his sole regalia, so he couldn't afford to have such thoughts.

Therefore after checking back and seeing how dispassionate the man looked when Yukine started to pull open his kimono, Yukine assumed he was relatively safe from having his privacy invaded.

That didn't stop him from rushing to throw himself under the water to hide his nude body, but his anxiety over being watched melted in the perfectly hot water he was submerged in.

Yukine had not once thought about bathing in all his time here and thus the memory of how soothing it was to float in this blanket of warmth -the utter weightlessness as all the tension drained from his muscles- left him in a state of euphoria for a couple of minutes.

However, the brief shock around his neck reminded him of where he was so he got to work right after. He scrubbed his body with his choice of scented soap -when was the last time he had the freedom to choose anything?- and combed his fingers through his greasy hair until it felt cotton soft.

Once he was done, he hesitated to leave the water because this was the greatest comfort he'd had since forever and because he did not wish to expose himself. He glanced at the man and was stunned when he turned away and gave Yukine enough time to wrap a towel around himself before returning his indifferent expression to the shinki.

He wondered if he could use this god's politeness to his advantage, but the man did not look away again, so Yukine did not try to aim a borderline at his legs when he was handed a fresh kimono.

After getting changed in a heartbeat -it was chilly in the bathroom too- the man waved him out the door. "Let's go."

The god turned, knowing Yukine would follow, and Yukine obediently did so because he was certain someone had their eye on him at all times in this place. Plus merely escaping the muscled man did not guarantee Yukine's freedom since he had no idea where he was. This place could be in the middle of nowhere for all he knew and there could be a pack of guards waiting for him right around the corner. Also, Yukine's entire body ached because today was the largest workout he had given it for at least a week now.

"Sit." The order came out authoritative but not malicious.

They had stopped at the end of hall, in front of a new area that vaguely reminded him of a movie star's dressing room. Though it was not well-furnished and there was only a tan stool in front of a short white counter inside it. A tall mirror rested on the counter with lights framing the glass, but there was no make-up or even a comb lying on the counter.

Yukine's mouth fell open slightly when he saw himself. His eyes were so dull that they resembled that of a corpse and Yukine wanted to laugh at the irony of the dead boy with corpse eyes, but the collar hummed as if reading his mind so he stamped down the urge.

The potential god left without another word as Yukine gingerly patted what he could now see was a very bruised throat, angry red and dark purple splotches peeking out from under the collar.

The gentle pattering of sandals alerted Yukine that someone was coming to join him before a slender woman entered the mirror's reflection. She was wearing the same white kimono as him, and he knew she was a shinki prior to spotting the edge of a tattoo on her left shoulder.

Her expression was blank, though her brown eyes held an edge of melancholy as she pulled a brush out the drawer and hurriedly used it to brush his damp hair. Her strokes were so rhythmic that Yukine found them to be almost motherly in their tenderness, though that may have been some desperate side of him reaching for any sort of kindness at this point.

Yukine wanted to ask for her name, make conversation he so dearly missed, but had a feeling such an action would lead to them both being punished. He could see an unhealthy pinkish tone beneath her collar, the sole scarred area on her lightly tan skin, and knew that she had already endured some disciplinary measure. Thus he decided he would do his best to not add onto her pain.

Yukine remained still as she added some sickly-sweet smelling products to his hair and only wrinkled his face a bit when light powder was peppered onto his cheeks.

When the process was over, he tried to muster up a reassuring smile, but it either came out as a frown or the girl was beyond hoping because her lips only pursed together in a contrite expression before she backed away from him and slipped into the hall.

Yukine listened to her footsteps fade in the distance and began thinking of making a run for it so he could at least say he tried, but he heard heavier footsteps coming his way. To his mild surprise, the familiar face of Masuta entered the room.

"Hey, there, little regalia." His smirk was as sharp as Yukine remembered, but it had been a while so maybe he was mistaken.

"Looking good, nice and shiny like a blessed regalia should." There was a teasing nature to his words as he walked up to Yukine and placed a hand on each of his shoulders. Yukine flinched, and would have instinctively shoved him away if his collar hadn't sparked and reminded him of his situation.

Masuta seemed pleased by Yukine's noticeable self-control and patted his shoulders in mocking congratulation. Then he leaned in so close that Yukine was immediately put on his guard. "You know what today is, right?"

Yukine had no clue what day or even month it was anymore, but he had a feeling that wasn't exactly what Masuta meant. So he watched in mute anticipation, anxiety pooling into his empty stomach and his heart jolting unnaturally in his chest.

Masuta's eyes lit up a vibrant purple that Yukine could not look away from as the man whispered in his ear. "Auction day."

Yukine was chilled to the bone as the thread of hope he held on to for days was snipped in an instant. He was going to be sold. He was going to be _sold_.

His time had run out.

* * *

 **Aww, poor Yukine, but it had to be done. T** **his chapter was definitely the hurt, but the comfort is on its way...probably...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favs, they're a real motivation for me! :D**

 **Also, kudos to reviewer _shishi_ for being the only one to notice/mention how this story pays homage to the movie _Taken_! I was starting to worry the references were too subtle. ;)**

* * *

The mirror shattered and the counter split in two. Masuta wasn't hit by Yukine's borderline, but that was because he hadn't aimed for him, knowing the god would anticipate an attack on his person. Yet Yukine was feeling more alive than he had in forever and the shame of being helpless for so long ebbed a little. Though rather than the electrical retaliation he expected, the command to "sleep" was shouted from behind.

He collapsed into thin pale arms and jade eyes took up his entire view. His final thought was how this was not the first time he had heard Masuta's shinki speak, for her voice had been there the night he was captured as well.

When Yukine crawled his way back to consciousness, he wondered if he was still sleeping because it felt like he was drifting through the air. Then the cold freezing his back altered him to the inflexible metal beneath him. He sighed unhappily when he figured out he was laying on another examination table, which felt like it was being wheeled up an incline. He peeked his eyes open to see that the shinki woman was wheeling him through an unfamiliar hallway. Her eyes were set straight ahead, but when Yukine twitched his fingers she already had a halberd formed and aimed at him as if it were a gun.

Yukine wasn't too impressed, knowing none of his captors would risk hurting him excessively. "You know," he shifted his head to get a better look at her china-doll figure and perfect composure. "You remind me of this nora I met."

Yukine witnessed a speck of emotion cross the woman's face for the first time, her forehead wrinkling and giving her an insulted expression. Or perhaps that was disgust, but the emotion melted into apathy within seconds so he was uncertain.

"Rise." She stepped away from him to stand near a bare, pastel blue wall.

He cautiously sat up and slid off the table so his bare feet slapped against the wooden ground. His gaze swept across the area and he was mildly awed because this place was drastically different from anything he'd seen in weeks -maybe an entirely new building.

The ceiling was far above him with a rich velvet curtain hanging down from it, which separated Yukine and the shinki from what he assumed was a stage.

Yukine's heart stuttered and then picked up at an alarmingly fast tempo because if there was a stage and he was behind a curtain, and it was auction day-

"You're awake, right on time."

Yukine jumped when Masuta walked in from the hallway.

Masuta laughed at his actions and his eyes twinkled a sunset purple. "Don't look so scared, little regalia." He took a step forward and Yukine took one back, but his collar buzzed so he stiffly remained in place as Masuta walked over to him. "It's not so bad if you do what you're doing now." The god looked so pleased while Yukine felt so sick as he forced himself to endure the rough ruffling of his hair.

However, his eyes widened when he recognized this sensation. Bile rose in the back of his throat because that had been Masuta who had given him water. He had allowed his captor to see him at his most lowly and pathetic.

Yukine struggled to swallow the shame and bile that almost overcame him while Masuta continued petting him. "Just keep your mouth shut,"

Yukine wanted to shout simply to spite him, but his mouth was dry as a well during the drought season, so he settled for baring his teeth.

Masuta either didn't find him threatening -highly likely- or ignored him -also likely- because he didn't change expression.

"Do as we say, and be a good little shinki." The last part was in that tone, the insulting baby-talk tone he had used on Yukine and this was no coincidence because Masuta was smiling as if he had shared an inside joke with him.

Yukine glared because he had been hurting so bad and Masuta -the sick bastard- had taken advantage of his moment of weakness, more than likely had maneuvered it to happen, and now had the nerve to lord it over him prior to trying to sell him as if he were his property.

Rage fueled by humiliation made Yukine's hands clench till nails dug into his palms and he did not care how the collar sparked in warning. He flew at Masuta, ready to strike him with his bare hands when the expected shock brought him down to his knees.

His throat was too swollen to release full-blown screams so all that came out was a keening wail while the shocks burned through his nerves and dug straight into his bones like acid. His limbs jerked even after the electricity died down and his muscles and ligaments were left tingling in an unnatural way. He felt disconnected from himself, like the wire connecting his brain to his body had been unplugged. His sight was blurred while his hearing was muffled to the point that if Masuta was talking right now Yukine's ears could only interrupt it as short hums of static. However, his body jump-started when Masuta lifted his arm as high as it could go and Yukine felt the unseen rope snake around his neck and lift him in a manner more vicious than ever before.

Masuta leaned his face towards Yukine's bulging eyes as he was left standing on the tips of his toes to relieve the pressure around his neck, only to find he still couldn't breathe. "That was the opposite of what you should do." The god's aurora magnified his displeasure, becoming a dangerous pollutant that billowed in the air he could not inhale.

Yukine was unable to look away from those glowing eyes, but his hands were actively clawing at his collar because he was suspended on nothing, and yet there was a noose around his neck and his toes were wobbling precariously under his full weight. Only Masuta's unwavering arm kept him from tipping over and being truly hung. Even so, the pressure was so intense Yukine felt his life slipping away and he wanted to scream and plead but he was mute as the invisible noose strangled his thoughts too.

Masuta sighed, shaking his head in false sympathy. "Let me tell you something that will make your situation clearer, really a nice piece of advice for you." His eyes were ultra-violet, and Yukine zeroed in on them to help fight off the black spots invading his vision. "What you want is not important,"

Yukine begged to differ as he wheezed with each breath, seeking precious oxygen, but never getting quite enough to feel safe.

"Because the moment you died, you became a _thing_ ," He weakly threw his hands out to grasp at Masuta's suit, but the god easily brushed them off. "And things are meant to be _owned_." Masuta was not smiling, neither was he frowning. No, he said it all as if he were simply stating a fact. Yukine could not argue how that was an opinion as his body went limp and his arms stopped grasping at his collar.

"You're not _somebody_ in need of adoption like all those gods seem to think of their shinki, you're not a _person_ anymore." Masuta made a derisive sound at the thought, and Yukine wanted to be offended, but he merely felt terror because he was being given the bare minimum amount of air to keep conscious and his lungs were working overtime to get even that.

"You are a shinki, a sacred treasure, but no matter how valuable a jewel is," His toes hovered above the ground and the noose completely constricted his neck as Masuta raised him higher. "It's still just an _object_."

The pressure abruptly loosened when Masuta opened his fist and Yukine dropped onto his hands and knees but the world was rocking side-to-side so he lost his balance and collapsed onto his side. He released hacking coughs as air whooshed into his depleted lungs, the black spots halting their invasion.

"Accept this fact and everything becomes a lot easier."

Yukine crawled up into an unstable crouch, body tipping left and right.

"I mean look at the shinki around you." Masuta gestured widely at the area around them.

Yukine did not look, though, since he was too busy trying to discern if the lights had gone out or if his vision was still clearing, but his collar hummed so he weakly lifted his head to stare at Masuta's regalia. She stared back at him, an ice statue.

Masuta went up behind her and she did not react when he patted her shoulders, posture never faltering under the pressure. "Does she look scared to you? In pain?" Masuta waited for Yukine to shake his head in the negative before hurrying on like a teacher helping a particularly slow student. "Well, humans hurt all the time, so if you want to stop hurting," His eyes were metal spikes that stabbed Yukine straight through the heart. "Stop pretending you're a person, shinki."

Yukine glared at the god. Then his lips trembled and his eyes became watery, and if he didn't expect to be shocked, he would have been crying an ocean. He had no more to say because his throat would only allow garbled speech out and he truly had no counter. For the longer he stared at the woman, her glass eyes boring into his, the more appealing Masuta's suggestion became.

Yes, she wore a collar, yet there was no sign of bruising on the milky skin of her neck. There was no indication her every move was under surveillance -she even left her master's sight on occasion. Her clothes got to be different, today being a pale pink dress, and perhaps she got to pick them out herself.

Yukine wanted that, he wanted the pain to go away with an all encompassing fervor. He was drained in every way at this point. His neck felt like a raw wound and every little move he made had the collar chaffing against it. It hurt so bad he wondered if it was bleeding despite knowing they would not have gone that far.

He couldn't recall the appearance of natural light and he had already forgotten the feeling of wind brushing though his hair. Did this shinki get to know these things? Was she allowed to roam as she pleased? And could he do the same if he became like her?

The fight seeped out of Yukine as he contemplated it all. He was about to be sold, and then undoubtedly taken some place far away. There was no escape. He had tried over and over just to fail, and he was out of time. This was his life now, so why not just let it go? Feel nothing, think empty thoughts. There would be no joy, sure, but no more pain or desire for things he could never have again either.

Objects didn't hurt, Yukine didn't want to hurt, so why not become a _thing_?

When the invisible rope tugged lightly on his neck, he rose promptly, and for the first time it did not hurt to move. Objects didn't feel thirst, bone-weary exhaustion, or bruises on their neck.

Masuta smiled, and his aurora sang with his triumphant. His lips moved but he did not hear, objects had no ears to hear. The woman approached him and wiped the dust off his kimono until it was pure white again, but he did not register the cold of her hands seeping through the cloth or the comb running through his hair as she fixed it.

He allowed Masuta to lead him to the stage and the spotlight was so intense he would have broken into a sweat if he could feel anything anymore. There was a girl around his age being led off the stage by the muscled man, but he did not care for her sorrow.

No, objects couldn't sympathize...but they could see.

His pale orange eyes saw the unshed tears shinning over her gray ones like a crystal film, and he must not have fully given in because he could still remember a time when he had been crying too.

 _"Live as a person!"_

Yukine gasped and his eyes went wide. Masuta didn't notice as he spoke to the darkness in front of them where his potential buyers were.

 _Yato told me to live...as a **person**._ Suddenly Yukine had an urge to cry stronger than he had in all his time here because how dare he forget something so dear to his identity. How dare he dishonor his master so terribly for even just a few minutes.

Yato had been dying from Yukine's sins, and rather than focus on his own pain, he had used the last of his strength to encourage him. He could have killed him back then, could have released him, but Yato decided to lay down his life to give Yukine another chance at one. His master would not have given his life for some object, a mere tool. He did it because to him Yukine was a person, his kid -baby as he had so teasingly put it- but a type of person none the less.

 _Yato..._ His master was not beside him, yet once again he had stopped Yukine from crossing that line and being lost to oblivion.

Yukine was moved so deeply his heart beat with a renewed passion. He was no object, he was a person, with a name and master he could never forsake. He would not give up again because Yato had not given up on him.

"-reasonable price," Masuta's voice echoed as he stared into the inky darkness. Yukine tried to peer through it, searching for anything that could aid him in his escape, but couldn't discern any chairs or people. He did however sense the gazes, a greedy lust for the blessed regalia that could boost their probably minor god status. Yukine hunched his shoulders, feeling as if hands were reaching out to him, and if let them touch him just a little bit, they'd grasp him and squeeze him dry.

Masuta patting his back brought him back to reality. "But this is a _blessed_ regalia with an unprecedented _strength_." He lowered his voice and inclined it to his ear. "Use your borderline like you did earlier."

Yukine was bowled over by his luck. This was his chance. Masuta clearly expected him to aim at the target board on the right, which had been setup without his notice, but if he was fast enough and aimed at the lights above him... Maybe he could start a fire or ruin the stage. It wouldn't be enough to allow him to escape -he knew he'd be shocked first- but it might force Masuta to reschedule if his customers left once the area was too damaged for him to be properly examined. Regardless, it would give Yato time he needed to find him, and he knew Yato had to be searching because his master had not given up on him when he had every reason to so undoubtedly had not this time either.

Yukine smirked as he threw out a borderline with every ounce of his strength and the line flew up to the ceiling. Only for a borderline sent from the above to clash with his midair and his heart had begun sinking until he watched as his borderline tore right through the obstacle and continued on its course. The lights shattered and as the lights sparked on and off, he caught a glimpse of the falling glass and metal so jumped back into Masuta who grabbed his arms to hold him.

Then it was all dark.

He felt himself begin to panic but did not regret his decision as he heard metal groan and clack all over the stage.

Then it went silent and dark, but Yukine's elation trimmed down his fear.

A soft chuckling from behind him was the first sign something was wrong. The second were the emergency lights that came in from the sides of the stage, and Yukine was stunned to see Masuta was beaming at him in the dim lighting. Anxiety hastened his breathing as controlled applauds came from the unseen crowd and he realized he had made a terrible mistake when he spotted the private seating area across and above the stage. Shadowed faces of at least fifteen gods -shinki too since someone had thrown that borderline- stared him down as he was released.

"And all this power could be yours..." Masuta pulled out a tablet and touched the screen. "Starting now."

Yukine's horror intensified when he saw the screen fill with growing numbers, and he threw his head up to see the audience had tablets or phones and bowed heads as they typed rapidly.

He was being bid for, and there was nothing he could do. He had played right into Masuta's plan, had made his value rise in the eyes of the gods or goddesses bidding for him from behind the glass. He watched in mute horror as the numbers rose higher and higher in ways he had not anticipated -no wonder Masuta enjoyed his job.

He wrapped his arms around himself and took a step back, but stilled when Masuta's tablet sent out a brief, blaring alarm.

Masuta grinned and raised his chin to shout out, "Sold!"

Yukine wanted to run and run because someone had bought him.

He was truly out of time.

His collar was yanked in warning -he must have looked like he was going to run- and though Masuta was smirking at him, there was the clear order not to move.

Yet he couldn't help but fidget when he saw the audience shift and exit the glass room because he knew one of those people were coming down for him. However, he nearly leapt a foot when suddenly a man -no, god- appeared before him, having clearly teleported with a cellphone in his hand.

Masuta lowered his own phone from his ear as he went up to the shake the god's hands. "Miryoku, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you back so soon."

Miryoku smiled back, raven hair pinned up and dark brown eyes alit with excitement. "Ah, well, I lost my sole shinki recently and I'm in need of a replacement." His eyes bounced over to stare at Yukine, who stared back.

This god was actually not that intimidating, physique similar to Yato and about the same age. He was wearing a casual t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Despite his unassuming appearance, though, Yukine fidgeted when his eyes scanned him up and down. This Miryoku was clearly a god, his eyes holding an antiquity in their depths, but there was something wrong with him. He was smiling at Yukine but his eyes were frozen like a lake in the winter. Yukine felt like the naive child who had carelessly walked onto the ice simply to find it was thin and fracturing beneath him. The dark waters churned with a yearning to hold him and keep him captive below the icy surface.

Yukine flinched when Miryoku placed a heavy hand on his head. "Wow, you look so much younger up close, cuter too." He felt a chill run down his spine when Miryoku slid his hand down to cup his face. "Now what should I name you?" He gave the red kanji peeking above his kimono a cursory glance and made a tsking sound.

Yukine narrowed his eyes because this god had no right to be so dismissive. "My name is Yukine." He knocked the hand off his face with a scowl. Yet his collar remained silent while Miryoku's smiled brightened.

"Such spirit! I missed the fire my shinki used to have." The god grinned at Masuta. "But gotta make sure, that was the last of my yen, you know." Miryoku bent over to prod his sides with his fingers, and Yukine nearly batted him away but Masuta was eyeing him and his collar buzzed. He knew he would be forced one way or another, so reluctantly he allowed his ribs to be checked for any breaks and held in the tears when his bruised neck was fingered.

However, he gasped when Miryoku straightened and pulled his clothes open from his shoulders, exposing his upper torso. He felt unsettled when the god's hand was placed over his beating heart and he undoubtedly felt it pumping too fast. Yukine did not like how his gaze lingered on his exposed skin and was ready to tell him to back off when he was abruptly released.

"Everything seems to be in order." Miryoku nodded to Masuta but was grinning at Yukine, who glared at him despite how unnerved the god made him feel.

"I sell nothing but the best." Masuta smirked at Yukine before handing what appeared to be a silver bracelet to Miryoku, who slipped it around his wrist. "Would you like an escort?"

Miryoku was shaking his head before Masuta finished. "No, I'm sure I can handle him."

Yukine felt queasy while Masuta nodded and turned away to call out for his shinki because the transaction was done. It was over.

"I wonder if I should name you after a plant like my last regalia. Maybe after those weeping willows if you cry all the time like she did." Miryoku wrapped an arm around his shoulders, adding to his feeling of entrapment, and started leading him off the stage as Masuta's blessed regalia entered with a few other shinki that carried brooms in their hands while they approached the mess of metal and glass lying on the stage.

"I'll think about it on the way home. My phone's nearly dead, but there should be a payphone around the corner I can use." The way he said it implied it was Yukine's home as well and he was going to faint at this rate. This was more permanent than anything that had happened before, there would be no more chances after this because Miryoku was a god that could teleport him anywhere. Yet he couldn't let this happen, he couldn't let him take him!

"No!" Yukine forced the cry through his hoarse throat and refused to take another step down the hall they had entered.

Miryoku side-eyed him curiously but continued to smile that charming smile. "Don't fight your master." The collar gave him a brief shock, but Yukine endured it and launched himself out of the god's grasp.

"You're _not_ my master." His voice came out as a rough yet clear hiss, and Miryoku's smile tightened at the edges like he was hammering it in so it wouldn't fall off during this altercation.

"That's what they all say at first."

That did not deter Yukine because if he let himself be taken out of here, he knew he would be whisked away and Yato might find him one day but it could take years and Yato needed him _now_. His father was always stirring up trouble for him and Hiyori, and Yato needed his hafuri to protect him. Yukine had a job to do, made a promise to Yato, and he would not fail.

Miryoku must have spotted the resolve in his eyes because he sighed and rubbed a weary hand down his now frowning face. Though he quickly recovered to smile a thin smile. "You're lucky you're so cute."

He made a fist and yanked forward so hard Yukine fell straight into the god's chest. Then his hand caught the front of his kimono and raised him so they were at eye level. "Because I killed the last regalia for disobeying me just once."

Yukine gasped sharply but horror did not have time to form before Miryoku dropped him and then trudged towards a concrete staircase that led to a door. At once he was dragged on the ground, bruises on his neck aggravated and lungs loosing air. He could hear the muffled sounds of honking cars and people chattering in the city outside, but no, he would not go out there!

He threw his hands out until he caught hold of the stairs' railing and he held on regardless of how the string was starting to crush his throat.

"You should give up." Miryoku's voice was honey, sweet and clingy as it clung to the part of Yukine that wanted to stop fighting. The voice in his head that had listened to Masuta and just wanted the pain to stop.

Yet he had to give Yato every second, fight for every moment he could because somewhere out there his master was doing the same for him.

However, his hands were starting to slip and he was getting dizzy from the lack of air. It wasn't long before his fingers slid off and he collapsed onto the stairs, body gaining new bruises. The line slackened and he wheezed in what he could before the rope tightened and his head thudded against the steps as he was dragged up them like a fish on a hook.

"Stop fighting," Miryoku reeled him in over another step and he felt skin break as his arm was scraped along a chipped edge. "You're my shinki and we have all eternity to get to know each other, so let's start on a good note." The brown of his eyes were either faintly glowing or Yukine was starting to hallucinate from lack of air. Yet he struggled and scraped his nails against the hard floor because he would not go down without a fight.

"You can't keep this up forever." Miryoku persisted, easily pulling him along with a smile. "You can't even sting me, or you'll sting your other master too. That's why I don't mind the noras, they tend to be too loyal to their old masters to blight me."

Yukine could not deny the truth of those words, but that would only apply if Miryoku got him up the last step, which Yukine had no intention of allowing.

"Kokki!"

And fate must have had the same idea because the building shook and startled cries broke out down the hall.

Miryoku released him in surprise and Yukine collapsed on the top step while taking in heaving breaths, but fell into a coughing fit after he took in too much for his deprived lungs to handle.

"Jungle savate!"

Yukine stopped breathing entirely as his head shot up because he recognized those voices.

 _Kofuku? Hiyori? Could it..._

His round eyes became misty as he stared down the hall and spotted a flash of pink -Kofuku's vent?- and the sounds of chaotic fighting reached his ears.

"A raid?" Miryoku looked mildly concerned, but did not move as he assessed the situation.

On the other hand, Yukine wondered if he was dreaming while the shout for unfamiliar shinki names were called out and the earth rumbled again as he imagined Kofuku summed another vent with Daikoku.

Yukine had no proof Yato was amidst the chaos, but his soul was singing because he just knew his master had found him. Yato had to be here.

He parted his dry lips but his arm was grabbed and he was lugged up by Miryoku, who threw the door open before he could blink. Yukine felt his heart racing because he was taking him away, away from his friends and his master and his freedom.

No, not now, not when Yato had finally come, not when everyone was fighting for him, not now damn it!

He summoned all he had to release the call as he was yanked into the alleyway and the door was closing behind him. "YATOOO!" The name pierced through the air like a sonic boom, raspy and screechy as it was.

The door shut in his face, and he wondered if it closed on his freedom too, but then he heard the muffled sound of stomping footsteps charging his way.

"Yukineeeee!" The cry was a mix of desperation and rage, and it was the most pleasant noise Yukine had ever heard because that was Yato. Yato was here!

Miryoku's hand slapped over his mouth before he could respond and the god's lanky arm showed surprising strength as it wrapped around and lifted him before suddenly Miryoku had launched them onto several patios until they landed on the roof of a nearby building.

Yukine's stomach plummeted from the sudden altitude change and because he had been so close to escaping, but then a door slammed open and his master's voice rung out from below. "Yukine?! Yukine, where are you?!"

He rushed to bite the hand keeping him quiet but it was too firm against his lips and Miryoku would not budge no matter how he squirmed. This scene reminded him too much of how he was originally taken and adrenaline rushed into his veins because he would not allow the same thing to happen again. He was Yato's hafuri and it was his job to guide him to where he needed to go, and maybe he had been doing a poor job of that for the past few weeks, but he would make up for it now by guiding him to his blessed regalia!

"Shut up." Miryoku hissed at him, an edge of worry breaking through his eerie calm. Perhaps he too felt the air sizzling with the distinct aurora of a god on the warpath, more specifically, a god of calamity prepared to tear this city apart if he didn't get his kid back right now.

Yet Yato's calls were getting farther and farther away so Yukine's mind went into overdrive. His eyes darted around as he fought the grip crushing him until he spotted a dusty pile of clay lying about a foot away from them. He took a second to evaluate the distance and then went limp in Miryoku's arms.

"What?" Miryoku was taken aback by the sudden change from movement to stillness, and he took advantage of his shock to lunge so Miryoku tipped forward. "Stop!"

Yukine kicked out and sent some of the clay shards flying. His toes throbbed as they shattered below and then his entire being screamed bloody murder once he was dropped and electrified at a dangerously high voltage. He must have blacked out for a moment because he was suddenly at the feet of Miryoku, invisible line holding him up so he was on his knees. The god had them near the ledge as if he were about to leap when a black blur flipped onto the rooftop and landed across from them.

 _Yato!_

Hope blossomed unbridled in his heart as he soaked in the image of his master because Yato had come. His master had really truly come for him.

Yato's eyes were steaming at temperatures hot enough to melt iron as they zeroed in on Miryoku. He was wearing his tracksuit minus the scarf and his dark hair was frizzled at the ends as if he had not brushed it in days. He was breathing heavily not from exertion so much as rage and his body thrummed with a manic energy. He held no weapon, but he didn't need to, for his body was a smoking gun, fired up and just waiting for a target. A target he found in Miryoku.

"Stay right there." The snarl escaped through Yato's bared teeth and Yukine felt a shiver go down his back as Yato's aurora both burned and froze the atmosphere with its intensity. "And release him."

Miryoku made a soft gasping noise the instant those blue eyes slammed into him like a hungry beast slammed into the bars of his cage. He looked like he wanted to move, maybe even obey the command, but he was too frightened to do anything when Yato started lumbering towards them.

"Release my kid now." His gait was predatory and dominating, but cautious too since he saw how close they were to the ledge and knew if Miryoku became too jumpy he could tumble over the side with Yukine being forced to plummet with him.

However, Miryoku's quivering caused his arm to shake the unseen rope and Yukine whined lowly when the invisible line scraped against his neck.

Yato's eyes darted down and they lost their intensity as he caught sight of the collar on his neck, but before Yukine could catch any signs of emotion, Yato's face went blank while his eyes shined from a brilliant inner inferno.

His gaze seemed to trail the invisible line -could he see it somehow?- to Miryoku's fisted hand and he took another step forward. "I said let him go." He took another step, aurora brimming with his dominance and bowing the earth to his will. "Or did you not hear me? Maybe I should remove your ears first since you don't know how to use them properly."

"W-Wait!" Miryoku must have known he was staring into the picture definition of death because he made a frantic waving down motion with his free hand. "I-I'm a minor god too, t-there's no need for us to fight. We could share the regalia-"

"Not a chance." Yato's voice was a growl that broke through the sound waves until they parted before him. He took another firm step forward, his pupils inhuman like those of a feral tiger readying his claws. "Release him now."

The air curled around Yato like the winds of a hurricane and Miryoku looked like he really was considering taking his chances with the pavement below, but then he eyed Yukine, and some of his courage returned because he had spent all he had on this shinki. "I-I could just use him a couple of days-"

Yato's stride was undettered like a man possessed by one single goal, expression eerily blank. "Give him back." He was almost close enough for Yukine to touch, and if he had the strength to, he would have reached out, yet he was only sitting up due to the invisible line. It seemed the punishments and escape attempts had caught up to him all at once, and Yukine was holding it together by a thin thread only because Yato was here and he had missed seeing him so very much.

Miryoku's fear faded as something dawned on him, and that easy-going smile crawled back onto his face. "Oh, I see," Suddenly, as if he had an ingenious idea, Miryoku placed his hand on Yukine's shoulder and Yato paused, eyes narrowing at the action as he warily waited for the god's next move because Yukine was still too close to the edge. "I like them young too." Miryoku slid his hand under his kimono and Yukine did not get a chance to register the violation before a blur of black and white leapt over him and he was knocked back by a familiar sweaty palm.

Yukine rolled a short distance away from the ledge and did not have the will to move his aching body from where it landed on its side. He heard the smacking of flesh and bone crunching prior to him catching sight of the scene near the ledge.

Yato released an enraged yell every time his bare fists pummeled into Miryoku's face. The god had a broken arm after trying to block the first hit and did not try to defend himself again after that.

Yukine was in a state of shock and numbly watched Yato destroy his fellow god, blood staining his knuckles as he beat him over and over like a machine trained to do one job.

But then Yukine realized this was his master -Yato was _here_ \- and he had not seen him for so so long, and he was so, so grateful he had to let him know.

He forced himself onto his shaking hands and knees. "Y-Yato..." He could not squeeze out more than a raspy whisper yet Yato froze instantaneously.

The bloodied fist he held over the now unconscious god lowered stiffly. Then almost robotically he turned to Yukine.

And those glowing blue eyes softened and his pupils rounded to their normal size and Yukine did not feel the tears dribbling down his neck until he felt the lump in his throat.

"Yukine." Yato's own eyes shimmered and he opened his arms while hurrying towards him because Yukine had already allowed himself to fall because Yato was there to catch him.

His face was cushioned by the stupid tracksuit that he had actually missed and his head fell gently onto his master's chest. He wanted to cling to Yato like the needy child he was, but he had absolutely no more to give. Yet Yato heard his silent plea and was already bundling him into his arms and encasing him in a strong but gentle embrace.

Yukine bawled unhindered for the first time in weeks and maybe that was why the tears streamed out like his eyes were faucets set to their highest level. Each sob wracked his sore body, but it felt so good to cry as toxic emotions poured out of him with every teardrop. Everything was alright now as Yato whispered soothing nothings into his hair while he stood up with him curled in his arms.

Yukine tried to tell him everything that happened through the sniffles and weeping but Yato merely shushed him and held him closer. He felt warm and safe and loved, but he didn't know how to express this while being a sobbing mess.

"It's okay, Yukine." Yato told him tenderly and Yukine did not realize how much he missed hearing someone call him by name, rather than his title as a shinki, until now. The joy this brought him only encouraged more tears to spill out.

"It's okay, I've got you, I've got you." Yato clung to him so fiercely it should have hurt but Yukine was so overwhelmed that his crushing grip was the only thing keeping him coherent.

Yato must have felt the same because he stayed this way with Yukine for hours or minutes or forever and a day because Yukine did not want to wake up from this beautiful dream.

Though movement from the corner of his eye made him stiffen and his tears ebbed as he became alert to the sound of someone groaning.

Yet he needed not worry because Yato whipped around and his eyes were blue matches waiting for the signal to set someone alight. "Don't try anything." The order blazed through the air and Miryoku blinked one eye open because the other was swollen shut and coated in the blood oozing from a head wound as he entered a sitting position. He started at the sight of Yato, so hurriedly slid his sole good eye away to Yukine and he was ashamed that he could not hold in the whimper that escaped him because it felt like those brown eyes were trying to pull him away from his master -no, no, no- and drown him in their depths.

Yato's hand flickered into view and flung a tattered sheet, which he recognized as his scarf, over his head. His panic receded the second he couldn't see Miryoku and he wondered why before recalling a book he read on animal rescues. The rescuers always had to blind the animals to keep them calm. It felt like an accurate comparison, though he hated comparing himself to an animal in need.

 _"You're not a person."_ Masuta's voice reminded him.

"It's okay, Yukine." Yato's whisper smoothed over the memory and Yukine nodded his head against his chest to let him know he was okay. With him taken care of, Yato's voice rose. "Don't look at him." His master demanded from above, but the hands holding him were sweaty and he knew they had to belong to his master so he was safe. He was finally safe.

"For what you've done," Lightning striking down a tall tree could not compare to the raw power in Yato's words. "I should pluck your eyeballs out of their sockets and peel the skin off your fingers layer by layer until I see bone. In fact, I'd do it now but I'm busy with more important things than crushing an ant like you."

He felt Yato's growl rumble against his head, but his ears rested right above his master's thudding heart and he found the beat to be rhythmic. His sniffling ended as the sound lulled him either because it calmed him or he was too exhausted to keep it up.

"Really though, I should just kill you," Yato's voice dripped venom. "I _want_ to kill you..." His voice became a bitter hiss. "So much."

He was not sure what Yato looked like but he figured it had to be terrifying because he heard whimpering from somewhere ahead.

"Then again..." Yato strode forward and Miryoku made a sound that might have been a garbled plea coming through a broken jaw.

"Don't bother with him, Yato." Kazuma spoke from behind if Yato's slight turn of the head was any indication. Yukine tried to peer through the scarf but could only make out a smudge of brown nearby.

"He _touched_ my kid." Yato's voice was quiet but weighed down by the animosity soaking each syllable.

"Bishamon will place him in custody with the others."

"Tell that swarmy-"

"A master has a responsibility to his shinki, that's all you've said these past weeks."

He felt Yato stiffen as it occurred to Yukine that Yato had been thinking about him as much as he had thought about his master. Though it wasn't like he could have forgotten him with how Yukine's emotions no doubt troubled him week after week. Guilt pricked his insides at the reminder.

"So get Yukine out of here. He is your priority, correct?" Kazuma was calm, though, there was a line of exasperation in his tone that made it sound as if he had needed to talk Yato down more than once recently. From what, Yukine had a good idea because Yato could be so reckless and without his hafuri to guide him all this time...

Yukine silently resolved to thank Kazuma for taking care of his master while he had been useless all these weeks.

Yato's head dipped down, returning him to the present, and he sensed the scrutiny. "Fine," Yato had to be facing him for his voice to sound this clear. "Just remember to keep him alive until I can...visit him." There was an unsaid threat, but Yukine could not dwell on it for in a flash he felt the familiar sensation of being teleported.

The scarf was removed and Yukine looked around from his place in Yato's arms to see they had entered a bedroom at what had to be Bishamon's place.

"I know you probably want to go home, but Kazuma insisted you'd recover better here." Yato was not looking at him, mind clearly on other things at the moment, but he collected himself quickly.

His master walked over to the bed and eased his limp body onto it so he slumped against the headboard. Yukine shivered when a chill seeped through his clothes and he missed those arms around him already, but Yato had been observing him and his eyes crinkled in sympathy.

"Let's get you changed." Yato reached over to open the kimono, probably since Yukine was obviously too exhausted to lift a finger, but the second there were hands tugging at his clothes all he could see were Miryoku's grabby hands coming towards him.

He flinched so violently his head spun as a blinding terror struck him. "Get off!" He screeched and it aggravated his throat before he realized his error.

Yato stared at him, eyes round and expression of shock morphing into guilt.

Yukine felt his own guilt fill his chest until he was waterlogged with it. "Y-Yato, I-"

"No, no," Yato had composed himself, arms falling as he backed away and his hair fell into his eyes to hide his expression. "I should have known better with what you've..." He could not finish and rushed to turn around to give his back to Yukine as he planted himself on the edge of the mattress.

"I'm sorry I took so long, I should have gotten there weeks ago. Hell, I shouldn't have let them take you in the first place!" He slammed a fist into the bed, jostling him and the pillows.

Yukine wanted to smack Yato for thinking such ridiculous thoughts -baka!- but his voice was shot and he had no energy for anything save laying on the cotton bed that was both an oddity and comfort with its softness. When was the last time he slept on something soft?

"I mean the whole reason they found you was because I blabbed to everyone about you being a blessed regalia."

Yukine actually secretly liked it when Yato prattled on about how proud he was of his blessed regalia, but the words were trapped by his muted mouth.

"If I had my own house in Takamagahara we wouldn't have to spend so much time down there! Plus they only target minor gods and who's more minor than me? I can't even protect my own shinki...my own kid..."

His voice faded until he was muttering to himself, but Yukine did not want to hear anymore.

Yato had saved him from spending years with Miryoku, kept his heart from giving in to Masuta, and even before today he had saved Yukine countless times no matter the personal cost.

Yukine opened his mouth so a soft exhale escaped and Yato turned to him with misty blue eyes. Yukine shook his head, though it made him a tad dizzy, and lifted a shaky hand out towards his idiot master. "You...save..." They were all he could manage, but slowly Yato's face shifted into something less guilt-ridden and maybe that was mainly because he could feel Yukine's pure happiness and bliss, which was no doubt a drastic change from what he had been feeling for weeks.

Yato rose, and after a second of deliberation, walked over to sit next to Yukine. He grasped his trembling hand. "Yukine..." He too was out of words to express his joy at seeing Yukine in the flesh, but then his eyes lowered to his neck and the merriment drained away. "You should rest, you must be tired." His tone became flat and his expression was shadowed. "I need to check on-"

The god managed to half-rise before Yukine's grip on his hand stopped him. It was weak as a newborn kitten's bite but when he turned to see Yukine's fearful expression, he got the picture.

"Don't worry, I'll be back by the time you wake up." Yato smiled a weak grin that was clearly for his shinki's benefit. However, when Yukine continued to stare at him with those big doe-eyes, Yato sighed.

He slowly raised his free hand, making sure Yukine could see where it was heading, and once he made contact, watched Yukine's reaction carefully for any sign the hair ruffling was scaring him. However, Yukine leaned into the touch and would have smiled if he hadn't been so tired.

"You want me to stay as you sleep?" Yato asked softly, but earnestly.

The teenager in Yukine was miffed by the question, but the louder side of him that was terrified none of this was real because it wasn't like he hadn't dreamed of being saved before only to wake up in an nightmare, beamed at the offer.

Yato seemed to sense his answer, loving compassion making his eyes shine. "Okay, Yukine."

He laid himself on the edge of the bed and stabilized himself before pulling Yukine into his arms. He paused when Yukine stiffened, but Yukine recovered fast and rubbed his head against Yato's chest to show him he was more than alright with this. Yato stretched an arm over his regalia to pull a light blanket over them and shifted Yukine in his arms so most of his body used the god as a pillow.

He released a content hum while he once again listened to Yato's steady heartbeat and savored the warmth blanketing him.

"I've got you, Yukine," Yato whispered -perhaps believing Yukine was already asleep since his eyes had drifted shut and his breathing was deepening.

"And I'm never letting you go."

There was no possessive or threatening note to that whisper, for it was a vow that broke down Yukine's final resolve to keep conscious.

He could rest easy now. He was safe.

Because Yato always kept his promises.

* * *

 **Don't worry there is another chapter and this is not the end! I was only planning for this to be a three-shot, but I had to split the ending into two because it was so long and we all want to see Masuta get his, right?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry for taking two weeks to get this out! I really wanted to work on this story, but college decided to bury me in a pile of homework and it took me a while to dig my way out.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows!** **Now enjoy some well-deserved fluff!**

* * *

Yukine woke up, eyes half-open and mind in a daze while he stared unseeingly out the window. It was dark outside -dawn maybe- but his study lamp was atop the table beside him and its warm glow kept him at ease. He eyed the light for a moment before it hit him that this was not some dim light streaming in through a thin slit but his study lamp, his study lamp from _home_.

He started, and would have sat up, but arms were wrapped around his waist and for a moment he was paralyzed with fear because he remembered Miryoku, but then he realized the arms were covered in that ridiculous tracksuit.

 _Yato...Yato saved me..._ His head was less fuzzy as he carefully rolled over within his master's embrace, trying his best not to wake Yato, until he was facing him. Then he craned his neck up and saw that Yato was leaning against the middle of the headboard -they had moved- with his legs spread out. Yukine was held at his side and slumped over so most of his body used his master as a pillow. A thicker comforter had been tucked around him up to his neck, but he noticed since Yato was sitting higher up it left his master's upper half vulnerable to the elements.

 _Yato..._

He simply couldn't believe this. Sure, he felt the rising and falling of the thin chest beneath him and he did remember everything that happened yesterday, yet, he couldn't accept it. Perhaps he'd had too many dreams like this to believe anymore, but this couldn't be real. He couldn't have been saved, the pain couldn't be over, he couldn't be safe -he would _never_ be safe- and he would cry because he wanted this to be real so badly -but it wasn't- which meant he couldn't even cry properly due to the collar.

Yukine's thoughts crashed to a halt. His neck felt off. There wasn't cold metal chaffing against tender flesh, in fact, while his neck was still constricted by something, this new material felt lighter to the point of being weightless.

Curious and cautious, he reached up and gently touched his neck. The cloth was thin and it had to be bandages. He must have been treated while he slept, which explained why there was an odd numbness around his neck -a pain killer had been administered.

He wondered if that was it, but his arm was still raised near his neck and he noticed he could see bare skin rather than the sleeves of a kimono. He rolled his eyes down to see he was wearing a navy t-shirt and when he rubbed his foot against his leg, he felt sweat pants create friction with cotton socks. Intrigued and delighted now, he examined his body and saw there were a couple of Band-Aids on his arm and he had a feeling his scraped knees got the same treatment.

A knock on the door made him flinch since he was so enraptured by his self-examination. Yato's arms wiggled a little in response, which worried Yukine, but the god didn't move after that so he figured he wasn't waking up.

"I didn't expect you to be awake." Kazuma entered the room with a silver tray that held a steaming cup of tea and a small bowl of plain ice cream if his eyes weren't deceiving him. "You've been out for the last eighteen hours."

Yukine stared at him as much as he could without moving up. His eyes widened because none of his dreams of being rescued had involved Kazuma before, if only because they were nowhere near as close as he and Yato were, and this made him consider he was wrong. Was he actually awake?

"Are you feeling alright? I came here to make sure you were recovering properly." Kazuma's friendly smile fell flat at the mention of his injuries. Though he maintained his outer calm as he walked over to set the tray by his lamp.

Yukine blinked and Kazuma stood at attention while patiently awaiting his response.

"I..." He couldn't go on because his eyebrows jumped high when the expected pain of a swollen throat did not sting him. He brought his hands to his neck but Kazuma was watching him, so he got a hold of himself. "I'm fine." He whispered in a slightly raspy voice, shock etched into his face.

Kazuma smiled more naturally. "I'm glad you're feeling better. We got some fluids in you while you were out but it would be best if you hydrate yourself once I'm done giving you a quick check-up."

He heard Kazuma, but hadn't been listening as the non-swollen state of his throat held his full attention. Not even his best dreams had allowed him to escape from his swollen throat or the weighty metal confining his neck. This was truly happening, wasn't it?

Without thinking, a question tumbled out his mouth. "How did you get the-um, the..." He couldn't admit it was a collar. It made him sound like some animal or pet and the shame it brought him glued his mouth shut.

Thankfully Kazuma had noticed how his fingers twitched towards his neck and his lips became a grim line. "That device around your neck was banned nearly a century ago."

His forehead furrowed at that because it never occurred to him that thing was so old. "You know what it was? And who made it?"

"Yes," Kazuma said monotone and maybe he did that on purpose because Yukine probably looked stricken by the fact that the dreadful device had been around for so long. "When you're my age, you watch a lot of fads come and go. That device was a part of one of those fads." He paused to assess Yukine's mental state, and seeing he was relatively calm, continued. "I believe some god invented them as a preemptive strike against shinki that blighted their masters."

"What?!" He couldn't hold in the cry and he hated himself for expecting to be shocked for that. However, Yato merely mumbled an indiscernible phrase and twitched while Kazuma remained impassive.

"It wasn't used the same way it is today." Kazuma quickly assured him. "For one, the shinki wore them willingly. Second, the shocks were at such a low voltage they could never have caused such damage." He didn't gesture to Yukine's neck, it was clear he was referencing it. "And masters only shocked a shinki if they blighted them, to help them learn to control themselves before they became ayakashi or had to be released."

"Oh," Yukine's gaze fell down, contemplating this new information. "So someone decided to ignore the ban and altered the coll-device's original use."

"Exactly." Kazuma held appreciation, perhaps grateful he didn't have to explain everything for once, in the green of his eyes. "They misused it for their own gain." The ire, though no more than a speck, on his face surprised Yukine because the older regalia was always so in control of himself. Then again, Kazuma was a blessed regalia himself and likely felt personally tied to the situation.

Though the ire was quickly replaced with a tight smile. "That's done with. I should check your bandages before your tea gets cold and the ice cream melts."

Yukine had more questions, but figured they could wait till this examination was over. Plus he wanted some time to mull over what he had been told.

He sat up slowly and tried to lift Yato's arm away. However, the second he nudged it, the arm reeled him in tighter against his master's side and he fell back onto Yato, practically sitting in his lap.

Kazuma blinked, taken aback, but before either of them could try again, Yato began to mummer. "No...touch...not my baby..."

Yukine felt the blush tint his cheeks a pale pink, which darkened when Yato also nuzzled his shoulder.

He silently hoped Kazuma wouldn't figure it out, but when he looked over, the older shinki had amusement lighting his eyes. Yukine's face grew baking hot and he wondered if Yato was doing this on purpose, but his breathing was deep and his eyes remained shut.

"Well, I suppose he can check your bandages himself once he wakes up." Kazuma's gaze shifted beyond Yukine and towards Yato while his expression became sympathetic. "I'm glad he's finally getting some sleep."

Yukine felt a hand clench around his heart as he understood the implication. Yato hadn't been sleeping because of him.

He peered up at Yato and only now did he see the black smudges under his eyes, the unhealthy parlor of his skin, and how his hair was not merely messy but greasy in a way Yato never allowed it to get even when he had lived on the streets. There was even what looked like bandages peeking out from under the collar of his tracksuit.

"Yato." He whispered to himself because his master looked completely wrung out. He hadn't noticed when he first saw him likely because he had been blinded by his joy and because Yato's overwhelming presence had masked his exhaustion. Only now did he recall the whole reason he had worried about his master's wellbeing without him. Masuta had been hunting Yato down, perhaps even fought him a few times for who knew how many weeks.

"Kazuma," He got the shinki's attention who had been observing him and his master in silence.

"Yes?"

"How long was I gone?" He forced the question off his lead tongue.

Kazuma didn't immediately reply and his heart beat faster and faster as the seconds ticked and ticked.

"Not counting today," Kazuma turned to stare out the window, but Yukine could see his reflection in the glass and saw how grim he looked. "You went missing about nineteen days ago."

He didn't know how to feel about that, a numbness had taken residence under his skin the second he heard the number so perhaps he was simply in shock. Without emotions impacting him, Yukine plainly thought that explained why he had been so broken by auction day. He'd been isolated and mistreated for over two weeks. He had been denied the right to be treated like a human being for nearly three.

"He's been driving himself ragged searching for you," Kazuma turned to regard Yukine but there was no accusation in his tone, though he figured there should be because he had failed Yato. "We couldn't stop him most days."

"He got all of you to look for me? Even Bishamon?" He couldn't wrap his head around Yato ever begging Bishamon for help with such a personal matter.

Kazuma gave him a peculiar look, one he couldn't decipher except to say it was under the umbrella of sadness. The regalia shook his head so brown bangs swayed. "He didn't have to. The second he went back to Kofuku's place, and they realized what happened, Daikoku and Kofuku offered to search for you. Then Bishamon and Tenjin learned about it from Hiyori because they were wondering why she was running around so late."

Yukine's eyes expanded with every sentence and he had to look shell-shocked because he felt like a brick wall had collapsed onto him. He had never entertained the possibility that anyone but Yato and Hiyori -maybe Kofuku and Daikoku too- had been searching for him.

"Yukine," Kazuma was smiling with an odd mixture of pity and amusement. "You have a lot of friends," He looked over to Yukine's god. "Yato isn't as alone as he used to be either, but I don't think he realizes it. I guess you two have that in common."

He turned up his neck towards Yato while stretching his dry lips into a thin, tiny grin. "I guess I have to thank him for being so persistent..." The side of his lip went up higher. "Or maybe he's so annoying nobody wanted to hear him moping if they didn't help him."

"I must admit he can be vexing," The two shinki shared a look in a moment of understanding.

"Not you too, Kazuma," A tired and slurred drawl derived from above his head and he looked up. "Yukine insulting me is bad enough." Yato scrubbed at his groggy eyes. Soon, though, his eyes slid down to Yukine and he and his master shared a long look.

Yukine wasn't quite sure how he felt, everything had happened so suddenly he still wasn't certain any of this was as real as he hoped it was. Though maybe his master was just as mixed up inside because his eyes were distant and cloudy as if he were lost in thought.

"Since you wouldn't let me check his wounds, I'll leave that to you, Yato." Kazuma interrupted their staring contest smoothly. Then just as easily he slipped out the room. Though Yukine caught him giving Yato a look, which his master nodded to before the regalia went out the door.

He was going to question this when Yato shined a smile his way. "Hey, food!" His master straightened and pulled him all the way onto his lap, much to his embarrassment, while encircling him with one arm and using the other to drag the tray over. "Now what do we have here?" He made a show of looking over the tea and ice cream before making a decision. "Blegh, none of this is good. Guess you can have it all to yourself." He smiled down at him, loosening his hold so Yukine had free reign with his arms.

He figured Yato was playing it up if only to lighten the mood and Yukine wanted to smile or thank him except he hadn't done either of those for weeks so he couldn't muster the will to do either one. Though the tea looked divine in his eyes since the last thing he had drunk had been plain tap water and that had been ages ago.

He lifted up the cup and his hands shook, but the cup was not filled too high so none of it spilled. He brought it to his lips and sipped it with extreme care because he could feel Yato watching him like a hawk and he didn't want his master to think he was _completely_ useless on his own. However, he forgot about this as mint slid down his tongue and throat. He felt like he was going to melt into a pile of goo as the hot -but not too hot- liquid refreshed his mouth as if it were its own form of balm.

"You okay?" Yato's soft question interrupted his peace, and he realized he had froze after taking that first sip. He flushed because it was simply some mint tea, and here he had treated it like a rare mineral.

To cover up his blush, he took another sip so he wouldn't have to talk and shook his head in the affirmative. Thankfully Yato didn't interrupt until Yukine had drained the cup to its last drop and had returned it to the tray. He eyed the melting ice cream but the thought of eating such a sugary treat made him uncomfortable.

"Feeling better?"

Yukine looked up to his master and saw that he appeared to be a bit distressed and his forehead was furrowed like he had a question.

"What is it?" He asked, not liking how tense the silence was becoming.

Yato bit his lip for a second and his gaze flew upwards as he pondered over something. However, he soon sighed and in a low, reluctant tone he spoke. "I know it's soon," he tensed a little against Yato, knowing he might not like where this was heading. Yet Yato paused, probably noting how he'd accidently shattered his inner tranquility. "Actually, it can w-"

"Go ahead." He cut Yato off because his master wouldn't sound like this if it weren't important and he didn't want to spend the rest of the day beating around the bush.

Yato eyed him and Yukine tried to smile. He was pretty sure he failed since Yato still looked reluctant as he went on. "Kazuma wants to make sure we shouldn't be treating any... _other_ injuries on you."

Yukine was puzzled by his wording and the meaning was lost on him, which is why Yato continued. "What I mean is...did anyone _touch_ you?"

He choked on air for a second, but then he quickly shook his head. "N-No!" He didn't want to think about it, but Miryoku's face and those eyes and his hands were already forcing their way into his mind. "What y-you saw with M-Miryoku was the closest."

He felt a shiver roll down his spine because Miryoku had nearly been his master and the idea of living with such a creep made him want to hold himself, but he didn't because Yato would worry.

"I should have killed him."

He looked up and saw a flash of Yato's thunderous expression but it soon dispersed after he took a calming deep breath. Quieter, he looked down at Yukine and his eyes were soft as he said, "You're safe now."

Yukine didn't hold his gaze because there was so much care held in those eyes and he wasn't worthy of it, so he turned to the window. The sun was breaking into the horizon and the sky was so many shades of deep purple and orange that he was awed by it. "Yeah, I know." He muttered, but already he felt a dam breaking within his chest because he hadn't seen a sunrise for nearly three weeks and he might never have seen this beauty again if it hadn't been for everybody.

Yato didn't say a word when he started to sniffle and a couple of tears leaked out, though, no more than that. The sun touched his face and it felt warm in a way no manufactured light could. He used to dream about things like this, so could it truly be real?

Yato made a choked sound and Yukine realized he had spoken aloud. Ashamed he had let such weakness slip out, he burrowed his face into Yato's side and tried to hide it.

A hand landed softly upon his head. "Don't worry, this is real. I promise it's real." Yato ran his fingers through his blond tufts and Yukine finally allowed himself to believe that he was truly going home.

He woke up like he fell asleep, to the feeling of fingers combing through his hair and an arm wrapped around his middle. He was only partially awake, and thus, didn't try to move while he idly wondered if he had taken a power nap or fell into another lengthy sleep. He assumed the latter since he felt his body was in a different position -he was sitting up more- and voices were murmuring above him.

"-the tape. Nothing at all?" His master's voice was hardly above a whisper. He felt every word as his head rested once again against Yato's chest, for apparently he was still in Yato's lap. He should have been embarrassed, yet was perfectly content because it was warm unlike the chilly cell he had been left in.

"No, nothing from what we can tell." Kazuma's voice drifted from somewhere in front, calm and steady in a way that made the lull to sleep renew in Yukine.

"Good... Not that I thought my kid was a liar, but they could have taken advantage of him when he was sleeping... I had to make sure."

He became more alert as he noticed he was the topic being discussed. But what tapes were they talking about?

He didn't really have it in him to ponder the questions. Maybe he was being self-indulgent and lazy or he was still recovering from what he had been through, but he had no desire to leave his warm nest and he was already dipping back into unconsciousness.

"Mind letting me watch the tapes? I don't need to see all of them, just the ones with Yukine in them."

His muscles tensed and he heard the clacking of teeth above like Yato had clenched his jaw. An explanation suddenly sprung into his head, and he didn't like it.

In that cell and the rest of the building he had felt like he was being watched. He had suspected there were cameras from the very start and if Yato was talking about tapes with him in it...

The fingers stopped and the hand pulled away. He immediately knew Yato had picked up on his anxiety and rushed to calm himself.

"What's wrong?" Kazuma asked, no doubt seeing Yato's attention had turned towards his shinki. He felt Yato's eyes scanning him over, and fought to keep his breathing deep and his expression neutral.

His heartbeat picked up regardless of his wishes as Yato said nothing. He didn't want them to realize he was awake because he needed to know exactly what Yato would see on those tapes. Only a few days' worth? Or weeks? Only his time in the cell or the auction too? Would his master see how he failed him? How he let Masuta treat him like a dog over a cup of water?

His heart was ready to burst because no one was saying anything until finally Yato spoke. "Don't worry, you're safe now, Yukine. It's okay, you're okay." The hand returned to his head and continued its rhythmic petting. Not like Masuta, not like Yato was giving his pet a treat, but tender and slow as if Yato were savoring the physical connection. Had he missed this like Yukine had?

"Was he having a nightmare?" Kazuma sounded closer, prepared to offer his assistance.

He knew Yato's nodded because his chin gave him a light tap on his shoulder. "I think so, but he's calming down."

"Has he had a lot of them?"

"No, this is the first time."

Thee scrutiny was off himself so his body loosened.

"But this only proves my point. I need to see those tapes so I can figure out how to help him."

"Why not ask him what happened?"

Horror dug its claws into his bones and he struggled to maintain a facade of calm. He couldn't handle that. Just imagining Yato asking and making him admit how he broke down and obeyed Masuta as if he were his god rather than Yato had bile rising in the back of his throat.

"I won't put him through that." Yato's reply tore the worry from his heart.

"He's already had to go through it once and I won't make him relive it. Ever." His tone dared anyone to challenge his decision, but he heard Kazuma sigh and knew it wouldn't lead to an argument.

"Are you sure you're doing this for Yukine? Or are you from your own guilt that persists despite how Yukine is clearly happy to be with you, and doesn't blame you for any of this, which makes sense because it is not your fault."

His mood swung down low because Yato was blaming himself for Yukine's failings, and according to the exasperation dripping from Kazuma's tone, this was an old argument.

Guilt squirmed in the pit of his stomach because he had been troubling his master not only with his own negative emotions but had also made Yato feel negative about himself.

The hand stopped and merely rested on his head and he fought against the urge to stiffen because Yato released a mirthless chuckle. "That's because Yukine is too good...too pure for that. Even with a lousy master and all the trouble I cause him, he doesn't have it in him to hate me."

The tension in the room was colligating and he couldn't help but stiffen because Yato was holding him a little too tight now.

"Yato-"

"Sometimes I wonder if he'd be better off with someone else. I know he wouldn't like it, but if I released him and sent him to someone like Ebisu or Tenjin..."

His heart stopped.

His breathing cut off entirely.

Because Yato didn't want him, had just openly admitted to not wanting him, and Yukine was going to be sold by his own master and how could he do this?!

"No!" Yukine's eyes flashed open and he saw his master's surprise before he flung himself out of his lap and landed near the edge of the mattress.

Yato was gaping at him. "Y-Yuki-"

"You promised you wouldn't! You promised!" His throat throbbed because he was screaming and tears were spilling out in a sudden violent eruption.

Yato tried reaching for him, shouting something out, but Yukine leaned away and would not listen because they were lies! His master was a liar! Liar! Liar!

Arms grabbed him around his waist and yanked him off the bed. Then he was no longer in the bedroom, he was on that stage and Miryoku was dragging him away from Yato and he couldn't get free and he didn't want to go!

He screamed for help and writhed with everything he had because he couldn't let him take him away from Yato. No, no, no!

"Hold him! I can't put him to sleep like this!"

Yukine panicked and threw out his legs until it hit something solid and he heard something shatter yet he didn't care because Masuta was going to have his regalia put him to sleep. Then couldn't escape and he would be trapped forever and ever.

"Wait!"

Hands tore him from Miryoku's arms and shoved his face into a thin torso while trapping him in a crushing embrace. He struggled on instinct and tried to free a hand so he could get a borderline before they shocked him-

"Yukine!" His master's voice broke through his hysteria and he cut off the "don't release me, don't release me, please, don't" streaming out his mouth because maybe if he showed he was obedient Yato wouldn't sell him.

"Look at me!"

He didn't recall shutting his eyes, however, he suddenly noticed it was all dark so he snapped them open. He only saw skin meeting a tracksuit until a palm grasped his chin and turned it upward.

Yato's eyes were shimmering and he saw a desperate plea swimming in his ocean blues. "I am _not_ selling you. I would _never_ sell you." He sounded heartbroken and pained, but there was no hesitation or signs of lying on his face.

Yukine's struggling receded because Yato was upset and it was his fault. He simply couldn't stop messing up. "I...I'm..." He struggled to get an apology out, however, his healing throat was agitated and he was still crying so it came out as meek blubbering.

Yato shushed him before he could try again. "Didn't you hear me yesterday? I'm never letting you go."

Yukine's chest rose and fell in a frenzy, but his mind recognized how Yato had made a promise to him. He wasn't being sold, why had he thought that? It was ridiculous. Yato was a great master and he was the weak hafuri who had failed him, not the other way around.

The tears continued to trickle out, though at a steadier rate while Yukine grasped the front of Yato's tracksuit to anchor him in reality and his master tucked him under his chin.

He cried shamelessly while Yato's hand rubbed his back and someone laid a blanket over him. Once again, he had the urge to thank Kazuma -everyone really- for what they had done for him, but this fit had sapped up all his strength and soon sleep overtook him again.

A couple of days later, Yato teleported them back to the place he called home. He excitedly took in the sight of Kofuku's place he had been longing for and there was a bounce in his step in as he followed Yato in.

"Yukine!"

His eyes jumped away from the walls he was examining because he needed to see every inch of this place and burn it into his memory so he'd never forget it, but he saw a flash of pink eyes and chestnut hair swinging before Hiyori was squeezing him. His eyebrows shot up as he got a mouthful of her cotton sweater since he had been in the process of greeting her.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! I wanted to see you sooner, but I knew you needed time to recover, and I missed you!" She pulled him away and her eyes were wet like pink seashells caught in a tidal wave and he was certain she was on the verge of tears.

"That's okay, Hiyori," he waved away her guilt and then he pulled his lips up in a half-smile. "I missed you too."

"Yukiii!"

Hiyori moved to the side while Yukine blinked when a blur of pink curls and purple eyes came running towards him. He was certain he was about to be bowled over and had no time to even brace himself, but Yato stepped in front of him, caught Kofuku in his arms, and twirled a bit to redirect her momentum.

"Yato-chan, why didn't you tell me you would be coming home tonight?!" Kofuku demanded once she was set down, though her pouting was negated by the joy in her tone as she looked pass Yato to him. He gave her a small wave back, but Kofuku didn't grant them time to speak before she spun around and called out. "Is the cake done? Or at least the cookies? Yuki is already here!" She vibrated where she stood and only now did his nose pick up the scent of sugar and sweetness wafting in. He didn't have to look far to find its source was on the table, which was covered in piles of dishes. He gasped at that and the banner above the table that said in bold rainbow letters "WELCOME HOME!"

Yato groaned from beside him, dragging a hand down his face. "I didn't say anything because I was trying to avoid something like this."

Ignoring him, Hiyori's lips stretched into a wide grin while she spread her arms out in front of the table. "Surprise, Yukine!"

He was speechless as he took in the streamers and balloons littering half the room -clearly not finished. It was as if all the excitement of a festival had shoved into this suddenly took small room and the abruptness of it all disquieted him.

"Hey, kid," Daikoku entered the area with Kofuku hugging his side whilst holding up a plate of frosting-covered cookies.

 _"You might get a treat."_

He froze and the savory smells transformed into the repugnant stench that drifted out a dumpster.

"It's great to have you back." Daikoku was smiling and his ever present gruffness was trimmed down by the cheer emitting from him. He wasn't the only one either. Everyone was smiling at him, and though he noted there was an edge of exhaustion to every one of them -as if they hadn't had a good night's rest in weeks, their every move was thrummed with excitement.

Yukine wanted to feel the same, knew he should, but Kofuku was bouncing over with the plate of cookies and the lights were too bright and it was so noisy and there was too much, just too much.

He took a step back when Kofuku began stretching the plate towards him, but Yato snatched it out her hands.

"Aww, my favorite! You shouldn't have!" Yato stuffed at least four cookies into his mouth to the surprise of everyone and downed them in a single gulp.

"Oy, those weren't for you!" Daikoku marched over to steal the plate back. However, Yato leapt behind a giggling Kofuku and managed to down the last three before Daikoku snagged him by the collar.

"You lousy-"

"But it's a compliment, I only stole them because you're such a great chief, mom!" Yato batted baby blue eyes with a pout to top it off while Kofuku smiled at them in anticipation.

A hand grasped his own and he twisted back to see Hiyori was watching the scene play out too. "I'm glad to see he's back too."

"Huh?"

Hiyori smiled sadly at his confusion. "He hasn't been this alive in a while. I was worried he never would be if we didn't find you soon."

Guilt stabbed him through the heart despite how he knew she hadn't meant it that way. He took a step away from her, unwilling to risk tainting her with his worsening mood.

"I'm going to bed." He whispered and didn't look up from the ground, so he wasn't sure she heard him, but he fled regardless. He couldn't stand the smell or their smiles and he hated that he had caused them so many problems. Who knew how unfocused Hiyori had been in school lately or how many nights Kofuku and Daikoku had sacrificed their rest, and Yato had the greatest burden of all by having to feel those negative emotions from his failure of a shinki.

Yukine buried himself under the covers of his old futon in the hopes the covers could hide his sins too. He tried to shut the world out and was drowning in his guilt when the door creaked open.

He hoped Yato would just let him get away with pretending to sleep but the footsteps pattered over to him and he could tell his master had crouched by him. He waited a minute, but gave in when Yato continued to crouch there.

He tossed the covers off himself but didn't look away from the wall.

"They didn't mean to overwhelm you. They're just excited to have you back."

"I know," he began. "I just don't have an appetite."

"You mean no appetite for sweets."

Yukine lifted his gaze and stared into Yato's blank eyes. There was no judgement there.

Feeling empowered from how Yato wasn't calling him out for being weak -though he was- Yukine offered, "They remind me of Masuta," he hunched his shoulders in and his head nearly disappeared under the covers. "I'm sure I'll get over it eventually."

He had to make sure Yato understood he wouldn't be this weak forever. He wouldn't be a burden again. He wasn't a total failure.

Yato grimaced and clutched at his heart, and Yukine wanted to ease the pain, but the sight of his weakness manifesting in his master simply furthered his feelings of shame.

"Mind telling me why you've been feeling so guilty lately?" Yato leaned down so he was closer to his eye level.

Yukine forced himself to sit up and Yato straightened as he crossed his legs and coolly observed his regalia. "Isn't it obvious?" He wondered if his master wanted him to admit it like a jury wanted to hear a criminal admit his crimes before condemning him.

"Considering I can't think of a single thing a person that's been kidnapped and locked up unjustly has to be guilty for, no, it's not obvious." The sarcasm surprised him, but the words surprised him even more. He stared into Yato's face and was expecting the burning anger and scowl, but not how it found a target that wasn't him. The anger -no, hate- were aimed beyond him and Yato was seething beneath his calm exterior.

His master had lied, he had already figured out why Yukine felt the way he did. He just needed confirmation.

Yato reigned in his hate and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yukine, listen to me." He placed his hands on his shoulder and peered into his orange orbs. "You have nothing to be ashamed about."

Yukine tried to open his mouth but his master squeezed his shoulders and he clamped his mouth.

"You might think that it's your fault you got captured or that you couldn't escape, but I know you, kid," One of his hands slid up to touch the edge of the bandages around his throat. "I know you fought back, I know you gave it your all." His gaze fell to the floor. "Kofuku saw you at the auction,"

Yukine inhaled sharply, and leaned away because it had never occurred to him that someone had seen him in the flesh that day. Nervous for what Yato would bring up -how he had been broken or let Masuta lead him like a dog- he swallowed thickly.

Yato didn't notice his distress. "She was trying to bid for you so we could get you to safety before we attacked. But more importantly, she told me what happened."

He trembled because he felt enough shame without having his master recap in detail how he had failed. "You nearly brought the roof down," Yato grinned and he looked...looked proud? "If a shinki hadn't sent a borderline to slow yours down, the whole place would have been rubble. And when I heard you call for me, I could tell you hadn't given up. No matter what they did to you, my kid never gave up."

Yukine stilled because Yato was boasting.

About _him_.

He had been such a failure and yet Yato was boasting about him. Surely Kofuku had told him how he let Miryoku take him, but then again, Yato might have thought the collar had been keeping him in line, which was true. So maybe...maybe he hadn't failed Yato.

"Besides, I'm the master, I was the one supposed to protect you." Yato sagged, hands falling away. Yukine could tell where he was heading so latched onto his master's arms before they slid off his shoulders. Yato whipped his head up and Yukine glared at him. "You bakagami! Why don't you ever use your head?!" He pulled Yato in, ignoring his cry of surprise, so they were nose-to-nose. "I'm your hafuri, which means I have the same responsibility to protect you. So if it's not my fault, it can't be yours either!"

He released him and Yato nearly lost his balance as he snapped back. He looked bewildered for a second, but soon enough the corner of his mouth quirked up.

"And they call me stubborn," he mumbled as he scratched the back of his head. "There's just no arguing with you."

Yukine crossed his arms and turned his nose up. "No, so don't bother."

Yato didn't speak for a moment, but then he hopped to his feet. "Well, if that's what my hafuri recommends, I'll do it."

Yukine beamed like hadn't done for weeks and it strained his facial muscles, but it pleased him to no end when Yato said that. The trust and pride he put into those words uplifted his spirit like nothing else could.

Yato didn't blame him, he didn't blame Yato, and together, maybe they could stop blaming their selves.

Yukine awoke to arms wound over his waist and he didn't bother questioning when Yato rolled out of his futon and ended up next to him. He cautiously shuffled under the covers and found that the grip was lax enough that Yato's arms rolled to the side by the time he had rolled over to face his sleeping master. A part of him was tempted to wake the lazy bum, but he saw that Yato still had a hint of dark rings under his eyes. Besides, he didn't mind this breach in personal space. It was such a contrast to that silent, dark cell of isolation that he always knew he was safe when he awoke to the god's limbs strewn over him.

Thus he eased himself up and tucked his knees under himself once he was free. He tossed one of his blankets over Yato and fixed it until his whole body was covered because it was chilly this morning. He considered sneaking a pillow under his head but decided not to risk it as he rose up. He stretched his arms heavenward and mussed his hair while he made his way downstairs. He expected to hear the sounds of breakfast being started and was eager to join in, but was shocked by the brunet sitting at the table.

"K-Kazuma?" He hurried over and caught sight of a note lying around, but didn't give it any attention.

The older regalia turned to him, unruffled by his underdressed state though Kazuma's clothes made him feel like a slob.

"I know you weren't expecting me, but Kofuku let me in before leaving. I think she convinced him to let her help with the shopping."

Yukine took a seat across from him. "Oh, that makes sense." There had been a feast waiting for him after all. The sheer quantity of food had lasted even after Hiyori came over yesterday to give him newer math books and had shared two meals with the group before heading home. He supposed if the two weren't back by the time Yato woke up, he would heat up one of the dishes for him and Yato. It was probably around brunch time anyway.

"There's something I need to discuss with you and it can't wait any longer." Kazuma's tone was curt enough to recapture his attention yet as polite as ever. "Bishamon would like your help in capturing Masuta."

It was a good thing he was already seated or he might have fainted on the spot. As he was, he had to grasp the table to remain upright.

"What?!"

Kazuma narrowed his eyes at him. "You didn't know Masuta was on the run. I'm sorry, Yato told me he would notify you by today. Though that explains why he's been ignoring my calls since yesterday."

Yukine hardly registered his words because Masuta hadn't been caught. All these days he had been lounging around and Masuta had been out there. He could be right outside waiting to take him, and yes, that was a ridiculous thought but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a grain of truth to it. Masuta wasn't far away receiving punishment from the Heavens, like he was led to believe, he was lurking around the city and perhaps plotting on how to rebuild his crime ring.

"He didn't tell me," Yukine began, mind trapped in a circle of possibilities thanks to this bombshell of knowledge. "He only told me that most of the bidders had been caught and so had Masuta's employees. He also said the shinki were either returning to their masters...or if they no longer have one, some gods were happy to take them in." He had been so pleased when Yato told him that. Especially when he remembered the girl who had been crying as she was led off the stage. He never got her name, but Yato had told him she had been reunited with her master too. Now he wondered if that were true or had those been false words of comfort to soothe Yato's "fragile" regalia?

"That is true," Kazuma leaned forward a bit, perhaps reading the doubt on his face. "However, Masuta and at least five of his shinki escaped. Fortunately we have managed to set up a meeting between him and one of his favorite clients."

He tried not to get worked up but he was talking about Miryoku, and now he knew where this was heading.

"Masuta is under the impression that he's buying back a blessed regalia. Considering the massive hit his organization has taken and how hard it is to find blessed regalias in general, especially ones with minor gods as masters, he should be desperate." Kazuma laid out the facts like one dished out a grocery list, emotions firmly in check.

He admired his fellow hafuri's control because Yukine could never keep his emotions under lock and key like him -perhaps because Kazuma was older or was simply wired that way. It was no matter as he clenched his fists and felt his body hum in anticipation.

"And what do you need me for?"

He needed confirmation before he did anything rash.

"You would be the bait."

Yukine closed his eyes in an attempt to settle himself and it worked to an extent because he had expected this.

"Masuta was very impressed with you, and we know he's desperate, but he's no fool. He would wonder how Miryoku had another blessed regalia if we tried to use someone else, and even if that worked, he would question why Miryoku's wasn't with you. Apparently he is under the impression Miryoku had left before we shut down the auction."

Yukine opened his eyes and rose. "Could you wait here? I have to talk to my useless master, it shouldn't take long."

He saw surprise cross Kazuma's face but didn't dwell on this as he hurried up the stairs. He burst into the room and could not bring himself to care as he slammed the door shut behind him and Yato shot up, covers flying to the side.

"Why didn't you tell me about Masuta?"

Yato blinked rapidly. "Huh? Why'd ya wake-"

"He could get away and all those shinki he has will be trapped for years if not forever with him!" He loomed over Yato and his master was now fully awake if the sharpness in his gaze was any indication.

His master shook his head to rid himself of lingering exhaustion and then squared his shoulders when he saw Yukine's fury. "That's because her plan is stupid and she can use one of her own kids if she's so eager." Yato rose in a fluid movement and suddenly Yukine felt small as the god leveled a stern glare on him. "We're not getting involved."

Yukine lifted his chin. "Yes, I am." He turned but Yato caught his arm. "Yukine, what's wrong with you? It's been less than a week, and you think you're ready to jump into danger?" He placed his hand on his shoulder and his fingertips tapped at his bandages. "You're not healed yet, physically or otherwise, and I can sense your fear, so don't tell me you're not afraid."

He scowled because it was true. He was scared. He didn't want to see Masuta or Miryoku. He wanted to stay home and never leave because he had missed this place and the people in it, but then he thought about the shinki. The ones he hadn't met, that woman with the bruises on her skin, and the regalia that reminded him of Nora. They needed his help and he was the only one who could do this before Masuta skipped town.

Yato was frowning and his arms were crossed, but he could see tell he wasn't just angry. He was afraid too. Not for himself, but for his hafuri. Yukine wasn't the only one that wanted him to simply bask in the fact he was home with the people he cared about most.

"Yato," His fists unfurled and his voice lightened. "Please, they need me. They might have masters that need them, that _miss_ them. I was gone for days but they might have been stuck with Masuta for years."

He waited to see if he struck a chord, but Yato's face was a blank canvas. Even his eyes gave no indication to his feelings. Yukine wondered if he had miscalculated, if his master really was so selfish.

"Fine," Yato headed towards the door without sparing him a glance. "I'm going to discuss this with Bishamon."

And the lack of an insulting nickname towards his longtime rival was more telling than how his master brushed pass him.

Yukine waited a moment and then sank against the wall because he was going to confront Masuta and Miryoku and he wasn't ready.

But he was doing it anyway.

* * *

 **And once again, I am not done with this story. Why? Because the story decided to keep getting longer and longer until I had to move Masuta's appearance to the epilogue, which is the next chapter. Sorry if anyone wanted to see Yato give someone a beat down, but I swear the next chapter is the last one. And I will update in less than a week so don't worry about another long wait!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the support guys! It's been fun, but here is the finale you and me both have been waiting for, so read on!**

* * *

The park mashed into a splatter of colors because Miryoku was standing there and Yukine couldn't see anything except Miryoku because he was _here_ and Yukine was _alone_ and those horrible eyes were meeting his.

The god disappeared. Yukine blinked as the kaleidoscope of colors reoriented themselves into evergreen shrubbery, a tan park bench, and the concrete path ahead of him.

"What did I say about _looking_ at him?!"

Yukine's head snapped to the side. Yato was there, catty eyes already glowing, and holding Miryoku against a tree trunk by his throat. The minor god squirmed against the bark, choking and legs writhing above the soil. Yet one of his arms was in a sling and his other hand was pinned by Yato's free one.

"I d-didn't...mean to!" Miryoku croaked out while Yato tightened his grip around his airway.

"That's no excuse." His master's voice burned with hatred as he leaned his face closer to Miryoku's and bared his teeth.

"Yato!" Yukine ran up and reached towards his master, hand hovering near Yato's arm but never making contact. He did his best to ignore Miryoku, who was writhing and gagging a few inches away.

Yet Yato said nothing, pupils solely focused on his target, so Yukine grabbed his sleeve and shook it. "Hey! We need him _alive_ for this!" He felt his eyes burning because he didn't want to think about what would happen if something went wrong now. They were _very_ close to this being over, all of it over, and he couldn't fail now. However, his heart pumped faster and then froze because Yato was tightening his grip and Miryoku's movements were slowing into mere twitches.

"Yato!"

"Don't make the same mistake twice." His master dropped the god, who quickly gasped for air like a drowning man who had finally breached the surface. "And I _will_ know if you do. Every time you look at him, it's not just him feeling that disgust...that _horror_..." His words were earnest and only now did it occur to Yukine that Yato had been feeling what he felt all along. No wonder Yato had skipped lunch, it made his regalia sick simply _thinking_ about being near Miryoku, which is what he had been doing since this morning.

"Neither of us wants me to feel bad, right?" Yato crouched low on his haunches, though was still towering over Miryoku's slumped body while he smiled a benign grin. "Because if I'm not happy..." His smile didn't waver, but his blue eyes were vibrant and his pupils had went from feline to cold-blooded reptilian. Miryoku clearly got the message because he shrunk back against the tree and nodded fervently.

"Great! I'm glad we're in agreement!" Yato's eyes reverted to normal in an instance and he rose up. Then his eyes landed on his regalia and a chilly indifference overcame his master's face, making him pause. Was Yato angry? Worried? Both?

He tried to stare back evenly, but he felt himself wavering and his nausea made his stomach acid bubble and churn. He figured he must have looked a little green because the ice in Yato's eyes melted. Then his master came up to him and placed steadying hands on his shoulders.

"Are you sure about this? You can back out right now and I wouldn't let anyone stop you." The plead interwoven with his gentle timbre told him he wanted Yukine to give him an excuse, but he shook his head.

"I have to." It was the longest sentence he could manage without allowing a tremble to creep into his voice. Yato held his gaze a moment longer, eyes freezing over again, but soon lowered it.

"I almost forgot," he released his hafuri to reach behind his neck and untie his scarf. Yukine was left in mute confusion until Yato suddenly placed the scarf around his neck. "We can't let him see you've been healing." Yato adjusted the tattered cloth around his throat, mindful of his tender flesh, and Yukine knew it shouldn't mean anything but it did. It meant _so_ much. He had a familiar heat building up behind his eyes and he struggled not to cry because Masuta and Miryoku had collared him like an animal, yet Yato was wrapping his prized scarf around his neck because he _cared_ and wanted to keep his kid safe.

"Yukine?"

His eyes fluttered and he reasserted himself in current events to see Yato had pulled back and was eyeing him like he was torn between holding him close and refusing to let go or turning around and skewering Miryoku in the chances Yukine's emotional breakdown was his fault.

"You should go now." He forced the words out, fingers itching to stretch, grasp Yato, and beg him not to go because he wasn't ready to be left all alone with Miryoku. They had already made him wear the kimono and if his master left, it would be like he never truly escaped that horrid auction.

Yato didn't grimace, but had to have felt his turmoil because he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I won't be too far," his head snapped to the side and Yukine recalled they were not alone. "And I'll be there the second there's trouble." His tone deepened in equal parts of a threat, which Miryoku flinched at, and a promise that calmed Yukine's wavering heart.

Until the hand left his shoulder, leaving him cold because this kimono was paper thin, and Yukine was left him floundering as his master hurried away into the darkness of the night.

A wind billowed in and his hands automatically slid up to the fringes of the tattered scarf. The ragged cloth covered his finger tips and safeguarded them from the elements. It wasn't quite the same as Yato being here -shielding him- yet brought him a measure of comfort and the fact it had come from Yato warmed him from his exterior down to his bones. It would be enough. It had to be enough.

Miryoku padded up to his side and he wanted to run because being an ocean away would be too close, yet, they had a job to do so he swallowed the thick lump forming in his throat and took in a deep breath.

He didn't turn when Miryoku placed his good hand on his shoulder and he was proud of himself for keeping his back ramrod straight rather than cowing under the weight. "P-Please tell your master I'm only touching y-your arm because Masuta would know something was up if I didn't."

Yukine didn't respond except to glare at the floor because this god deserved nothing from him, certainly not mercy. Maybe Miryoku understood that to an extent because he didn't say anymore as they started strolling down the sidewalk. He tried to force his anxiety down a level with each step, but then wondered if being tense would be more in-character since he had been a skittish and broken regalia the last time Masuta saw him. Thus he hunched his shoulders and drew his arms near his torso to give himself a frightened appearance, which wasn't entirely feigned.

And became all too real when Masuta and his regalia teleported a foot ahead of them. "Hello, little shinki," the god flapped his fingers in a mocking wave.

He threw himself back and landed against Miryoku's chest, who tightened his grip on Yukine's shoulder instinctively because he had jostled his injured arm, but Yukine did not care because he was trapped. Masuta was smirking at him and his blessed regalia stood behind him in clear support, and it was so much like his time in the auction that he felt himself on the verge of a panic attack.

A breeze came in, rustling the leaves above, and the scarf tickled his pale skin as the cloth rippled in the wind. Yukine felt himself steady, the scarf the lighthouse during a storm and steering him back to the task at hand. He didn't let this newfound courage show, however, as his gaze darted to the ground.

"How's your new master been treating you?" Masuta's hand plopped onto his hair and rubbed it down to his scalp, but he shrunk against Miryoku and flew out of Masuta's reach with a whimper.

Miryoku played his part by tightening his grip on his shoulder -it was starting to hurt now- and the minor god's chest rumbled beneath him as he laughed. Yukine noticed it didn't sound like Yato's laughter, didn't feel like it either, for it was far too mocking.

"Oh, I did warn you, Masuta. He's not very talkative these days," The god's hand shifted until he was holding Yukine like a child held their favorite stuffed animal, giving him a squeeze that screamed possessive. "And he's gotten pretty attached to me."

He obediently twisted around to bury his face into Miryoku's good shoulder, hating the smell of cinnamon and sweat that assaulted his nose upon contact. Though it was tolerable compared to the knife twisting in his heart because he was allowing Miryoku to _touch_ him as if he were his _property_ , which he had been so close to becoming a mere five days ago. He allowed himself to shudder because it no doubt added to his submissive appearance.

"Oh?" Masuta leaned in close enough that he could feel his body radiate heat but he stayed in place. "He must have put up a fight."

He realized Masuta was not examining him, but eyeing Miryoku's injuries. He felt a brush of worry skim over him because they had tried to cover up the bruises with make-up, but Miryoku's arm was still too injured to be out of the sling -Yato hadn't held back.

"That's a part of the fun, seeing how long they last," He could hear the smile in Miryoku's honey-sweet tone and he hated it. He hated feeling this god's chest rumbling beneath his forehead. He was nothing like Yato. His breathing was heavy and irregular -perhaps because he was still injured and Yato had aggravated his wounds a minute ago- and thus came off as unnatural.

Masuta laughed heartily for a second. "Very true. This regalia put up more of a fight than most...and he is one of the strongest shinki I've ever met." His words weren't mocking to Yukine's surprise, and a part of him was flattered because considering Masuta was centuries old and the nature of his "profession", he had met countless shinki yet Yukine actually stood above them in his eyes. Was that why Masuta had _personally_ tried to break him? Had that been Masuta's way of showing Yukine he viewed him as higher than most shinki?

He didn't know whether disgust or hatred would burn hotter in his veins if his theory proved true.

"And exactly how much are you willing to pay for that strength to be yours again?" Miryoku got them back on track and Yukine tensed because they were getting closer to his cue.

"I'm willing to make you one of my business associates," Masuta took on an air of professionalism, though, his tone was jovial too. "Which means you'd receive at least two blessed regalias, of your own choosing, perhaps even take back the little regalia you have now if I've found a better replacement by then."

He grounded his teeth and held in a growl for the disgusting way Masuta spoke about him and shinki everywhere. It was a good thing they had told him to keep his face hidden, he simply couldn't hide his emotions when he felt this passionate.

"Though your payment would be delayed until after you've helped me rebuild my stock, find a few potential buyers, and hire some more associates."

"So all I have to do is help you rebuild, and give you my regalia, and you'd give me all that?" His tone was light and Yukine could hear Miryoku's foot tapping rapidly against the stone pavement below like the proposal excited him. He despised this minor god, but he had to admit Miryoku was a great actor. A charmer, like his namesake.

"Yes, and you can even have your regalia work with you sometimes since I won't always need it. We can share-"

Miryoku moved his hand to his back and Yukine whipped around and shot out a borderline with a quick shout. He saw Masuta's violet eyes go wide but in a flash his blessed regalia -hafuri?- had done the same so they're borderlines clashed into each other. Yukine gasped when her borderline cut through his and headed straight towards him. He tossed himself to the side and felt himself collide with Miryoku so they both ended up in a pile. They hurriedly broke apart and Yukine spun back to the blessed regalia.

The shinki's cool eyes were alight, though her face was impassive as she stared at Yukine and opened her mouth.

"Confine!"

She whipped around just in time to see her shocked Master be trapped in a triangular prism of light. Yukine admired the irony that over three weeks ago his master had been in Masuta's place, but now he was the one being separated from his regalia. Yet he couldn't fully savor the sight before he had to throw himself to the side and dodge another borderline, which ended up cutting half the branches off a tree.

"Release my master." Her order was delivered without emotion, but stern enough to come off as a threat.

Yukine waved his hands in front of him, hoping to calm her. "Hey, you don't have to work for Masuta anymore. You're free now."

Her expression didn't so much as twitch, hence, he switched tactics because he didn't want to fight her but she had shifted her footing into a clear battle stance. Bishamon's shinki were hurrying over from the outskirts of the tree line, but weren't near enough for Yukine to feel like he had their backing just yet.

"We can take you back to your real master," he recalled what Masuta had told him about what they did to most of the minor gods. "I-If they're still around."

The woman did not change her stance.

He became puzzled because shouldn't she be happy? Or did she not believe him?

"You mean the guy that released her without a second thought?" Masuta had composed himself and crossed his arms while cocking an eyebrow at Yukine. "The one she risked her name for only to have him take the money and save his own skin?" The god chuckled darkly in response to the horror dawning on his face. "Yes, I'm sure she'd _love_ to see him again."

He found himself incapable of doing much save staring at the woman with a whole new set of lenses. He felt like someone had stomped all over his chest and stripped the air from his lungs at the idea that any god would simply abandon not only their regalia, but their _blessed_ regalia -potentially their _hafuri_ _._

"Masuta is my sole, true master." The woman's eyes were solid jade, not a crack on them, but Yukine knew in their core there had to be something fragile and broken. "He never pretended to care." Her monotone speech was the first thing she failed to deliver perfectly in Yukine's presence because it was laced with a bitterness that spoke of a century's worth of heartache.

"T-That's not..."

He wanted to say it wasn't true. All masters cared at least a little about their shinki. However, he could not contradict what had already passed, deny what some nameless minor god had done to her. He let his thoughts spiral away from the topic at hand, which was a poor decision Masuta's hafuri took advantage of by tossing a borderline. It was at his chest before he could get his arm up.

"Sekki!"

Yukine allowed himself to transform and her borderline sliced apart the bench that had been behind him while the katanas ended up in Yato's familiar hold.

"Confine!"

Masuta's blessed regalia was trapped in the same type of prison as her master while Kazuma and two shinki he didn't recognize approached Miryoku in a clear attempt to watch over him.

"Yatogami,"

Yato looked over with a grim expression, but no inner fire brightened his eyes and while his stance was nowhere near casual, his hold was loose on his weapon.

"I should have known you'd be behind this." Masuta was smiling, but his eyes sparked and he looked downright hostile. "I guess I took it too easy on you."

The memory of seeing bandages hidden under Yato's tracksuit struck him and reminded Yukine that his master may have fought Masuta. Now he was certain they had clashed more than once these past few weeks.

However, Yato gave no indication of this as he held the katanas by his side and walked up to the triangular barrier until there was merely a foot between them. "Masuta..." Yato whispered and then huffed out a short-lived laugh. "No, that's not your real name, and I get that, not wanting to be defined by the name you were born with."

Yukine didn't speak, and neither did anyone else because there was something in Yato's tone -a frank honesty- that was so rare and raw that everyone instinctively hushed when he spoke this way. "But you picked the wrong name for yourself, 'Masuta' doesn't suit you," His eyes started to light up and his voice was the hiss before the serpent sank his fangs into his prey. "You are no master."

Masuta raised his fists as if to strike the barrier, but after a moment, the rage faded and he put on a mask of apathy as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets -ensuring he wouldn't be able to act out again. "What is this, little god? Are you trying to threa-"

"You have no right to call yourself a master." Yato didn't raise his weapons, but his voice had hardened and as Yukine recalled the event on the rooftop with Miryoku, he remembered how his master didn't need his hafuri to turn a fellow god into his punching bag. Masuta might have figured this out too because he leaned away as much as he could in the limited space, seeming to be wary.

"A master, a _true_ master, has a responsibility to his shinki. They are supposed to provide for them. They need to give them a home, not some cage, a _home_ , a place where they feel safe." The truth rung and reverberated out into the silent park above the whistling of the wind.

Masuta narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Yato, uncertainty flickering in his violet eyes as he eyed his master. "Is this because I stole your regalia? I know blessed regalias are an expensive loss, especially to struggling gods like you, but it was nothing personal, only business."

"No, it is personal," his master's aurora stretched and struck out at Masuta's confinement like it was a physical and blunt weapon. Masuta drew in his extremities to his body as if bracing himself. Whatever Yato had planned, Yukine was in the dark about it and that made him a bit worried, so he could only imagine how unnerved Masuta -Yato's target- was in the face of this uncertainty.

"You kidnapped my kid. You kidnapped other god's children, family, friends, their partners." Yukine felt a ball of warmth unravel and branch out from his middle until every fiber of his body was warmed by an inner fire. He knew Yato cared, but this...this was practically a confession. A confession he gave in behalf of all gods about how deep the bond between shinki and masters could go. He wondered why it never fully hit him until now that Yato didn't just care...he loved...he _loved_ Yuk-

"Not that you were entirely wrong, with what you said to my kid." Yato tightened his grip on the handles of the katanas and Yukine realized that Yato must have snuck out one night and seen the tapes of him during his imprisonment. An old fear surfaced from the back of his mind where he had submerged it.

 _You failed your master_. He shook his head because he hadn't failed! Yato already knew what happened at the auction and he didn't blame Yukine, he was proud of Yukine! He let the memory of last night fill his head until the guilt sunk back into the dark depths of his mind it had risen from.

"You're right, shinki are sacred treasures...but that's not because they're mere objects, it's because they should be _treasured_. Like someone treasures their friends or _family_."

Masuta was stunned and this was clear as he stuttered out, "How would you know? You're just a minor god, you don't know anything."

"Because my kid didn't just risk his name when he changed for me!" Yato sliced in and raised his katanas. Yukine sharpened, trusting his master to do what was right.

Masuta raised his hands and frantically shouted, "You can't attack me! These clothes are my shinki!"

Yukine dulled, now uncertain. "Yato?"

His master didn't seem to register anything outside himself as he leaned in so his blue eyes were an icy gray as they reflected the light of the prism. "My kid risked his life, and that's the whole point. Blessed regalias are rare because they're stronger than most shinki, they feel more strongly, and that strength comes from love."

His voice hung heavy in the air and Yukine's jaw split apart so he was left gaping. He heard a choked noise and turned to see all the shinki were wearing various expressions of surprise, even Kazuma had wide eyes. He spotted Masuta's hafuri and noticed even she had slightly parted lips and one of her pale hands had bunched together a section of her navy dress.

"So no wonder you could never get a shinki to change for you. Who could ever love a master who would never love them back?"

"Yato?" Yukine's voice was hardly audiable, but his master once again did not respond as he backed up and Masuta stared at him. The god's violet eyes were wide and he was breathing heavy. Then he opened his mouth and Yato struck. They tore through the confinement, shattering it. Masuta raised his hands to defend himself but he was too slow before Yato had swiped him across his neck and instantly Masuta fell to his knees.

"Yato!" Kazuma took a step forward, stretching a hand but Yato didn't turn away from Masuta who was coughing and holding his neck as a line of blood seeped down it.

"Now you'll know what it's like to have your voice taken away, little god." Yato turned around and as he walked pass Kazuma, said, "He'll live if you treat him in time, and eventually he'll be able to talk. If the Heavens have a problem with this, you have my number." His master moved on, never turning back.

Yukine, however, did to observe Kazuma approaching Masuta who was coughing and spluttering but no words came out his mouth. He saw the other two shinki grasp Miryoku and lead him away. Though most of all he watched the blessed regalia in her tiny prison. Her face was hard to read from afar, but Yukine thought her eyes were shinning -a trick of the light?-and giving her a lost appearance. For once, she seemed uncertain. Yukine silently hoped Bishamon or someone would take her in and remind her of what having a real master was like.

"Revert."

Yukine happily obliged and appeared before his master. Quickly Yato looked him up and down. "You okay? I'm sorry I didn't warn you I was going use you for that, I know it's been a while since-"

Yukine threw his arms around Yato and he squeezed him so hard he heard the air whoosh out his lungs. "T-Thank you." He trembled from the cold and because indeed there were a few tears trickling down his face, but then Yato wrapped his arms around him -so warm, he always was- and lowered his head so his chin rested near Yukine's ear.

"Hey, anything for my baby."

And Yukine instantly pushed him off, scrubbing at his eyes furiously before he could properly glare at Yato's grinning face. "Don't call me that! I'm a teenager!"

Yato's smile revealed perfect pearly teeth and he raised his hands to calm his infuriated shinki. Yet he did himself no favors as he said, "Come on, Yukine, anyone under 1000 is a baby compared to me!" His bright smile became a tad wicked. "Besides, it's not _anger_ I sense from you every time I call you that!" His tone was a mocking sing-song one and he burst into laughter when Yukine couldn't hide the blush blooming on his cheeks.

Scowling, he glared at Yato. "Stop being creepy, Tracksuit! Dealing with your sweaty palms was hard enough today!"

The laughter ceased instantly and Yato shouted something back, but Yukine was already trudging back to Kofuku's place so Yato had to run after him because his sweat glands were perfectly normal!

Yukine begged to differ all the way home.

It was the following morning when Yukine removed the bandages from his neck and examined the unmarred skin in the bathroom mirror. It felt wonderful to do so, like being freed from a heavy chain that tied him to the auction, but now it was gone and he was finally free. He patted himself gingerly, yet the skin of his neck didn't react any more than the rest of him would.

It was over.

Masuta, Miryoku, the auction, even his scars were gone. He was free. Free from it all.

Yukine smiled at his reflection and the smile expanded when he saw his eyes were bright with his joy. He was no longer the broken regalia he had seen in another mirror nearly a week ago. Now he was Yukine, blessed regalia and hafuri.

He turned to leave and stopped short because Yato was standing in the hallway and had been there a while according to the distant look in his eyes. He was staring at Yukine's neck and he knew somehow Yato was still finding a way to berate himself for everything that had happened, but no, if Yukine got to be at peace then his master deserved to feel that way too.

"Good, you're awake!" Yukine cheered and Yato blinked into awareness as he grasped his master's sleeve. "Now we can start taking down some ayakashi."

Yato scrunched his eyebrows together and stumbled after him. "What? You want to do what?"

Yukine was already tugging him down the staircase, but paused to glare at him. "Don't play dumb! We're taking out some ayakashi, of course."

Yato still stared at him like he had lost his mind, but Yukine continued to lead him out the door because he knew Yato had probably ignored a dozen -if not more- jobs for him these past weeks and as his hafuri, it was his job to get the baka back on track.

"S-Slow down, Yukine!" Yato wouldn't budge anymore and thus brought him to a stop too. He crossed his arms and turned back to Yato, who looked as serious as he was confused. "Are you sure?"

He heard the unspoken "Are you ready to go back to this? Ready to move on?"

He didn't hesitate to give a sharp nod. Tapping his foot impatiently, he gestured to the path ahead. "I already let you get away with slacking for nearly a month, so we need to get a head start, okay?"

Yato stared at him, and his eyes went blank and glassy as he pondered this over. When the quiet stretched on, though, Yukine wondered if just because he was ready, his master still needed time.

"Oh, alright, kid!" Yato ruffled his hair and Yukine automatically swatted him away. "I'll take down a hundred if I can." His master's smile gleamed at him, illuminated by the sun rays.

"No, you'll take out two hundred!" Yukine moved away and glared at him. "Like I said, you've got some catching up to do!"

"Ugh, such a slave-driver." Yato muttered and Yukine simply smiled back as if he had no idea what his master meant.

Admittedly, it took both of them a minute to adjust to fighting ayakashi. Yato might have been fighting off gods for weeks now, but he had been fighting without his shinki and Yukine had not been a proper weapon for four weeks, so it took them each a while to get back into the groove. Yet soon enough ayakashi after ayakashi fell under their combined strength until the sun dipped low into the horizon. In unison, they called it quits and Yato was stretching his arms towards the hazy pink and orange streaked sky while yawning as they walked home.

Yukine didn't have the strength to mock him, and more importantly, his mind was drifting as he marveled the feeling of accomplishment and purpose thrumming in his core. Sure, he was exhausted, but it was the nice type of exhaustion, the one that said he had done well today. It was a sensation he had missed during his time away from Yato. Something he had almost lost forever.

Yato caught his elbow and stared down at him in concern. "What's wrong? You didn't get hurt, right?"

Yukine shook his head before Yato went overboard and gave him a full examination right here and now -he wasn't even exaggerating sadly. "I'm fine," he meant it, really, he felt better than he had all week. "I just...I was thinking..." His orange met Yato's blue and he felt himself blush because he knew he needed to get the words out, but this was embarrassing.

He spat them out before he lost his nerve. "I'm glad you're my master, is all." He twitched in place and the heat burned his face because he couldn't believe he had said it, and he should know better because surely Yato would tease him, or even worse, laugh-

"And I'm glad you're my kid."

The seriousness in the god's tone made him gasp and his head swung up to see Yato's own face was tinged red. They both rushed to turn away, moment making them awkward and uncertain as to where to go from here.

"Yeah, well," Yukine's voice was squeaking so he cleared it. "It's about time you realized that!" He forced out, masking his blush with feigned anger. "Now you better give me a raise."

Yato's face twisted into confusion. "I don't pay you."

"Exactly! You better start or I'm going on strike!" Yukine turned away when Yato started to laugh, only to stop when his shinki started jogging ahead.

"You're joking, right?"

He kept walking, head held high.

"Yukine?"

He smirked to himself.

"Yukine!" Yato ran up to him and tugged at his sleeves in desperation. "Why are you being so mean?" His master cried out dramatically as if he were in a play. "Aren't you my precious little baby?!"

Yukine smacked him upside his head and Yato fell at his feet and cried out as he grasped the offended area. "What did I say about calling me that, Drippy?!"

Yato poured and hopped to his feet. "And what did I tell you about calling me that," His lips slanted into a smirk. "Baby?"

"Don't call me that, Drippy!"

"Don't call me that, Baby!"

"I'm not a baby, you're the childish one!"

"But you're definitely the bratty one, Baby-"

And of course Yukine hit him again, in fact, would do so a number of times as they walked home. They both knew he didn't mean it, truth was neither of them meant it. Sure, they argued and were general nuisances to one another, but Yukine knew the bond they shared was priceless, knew that was why Yato would never sell him. It was same reason Yukine would never ask to be released.

Because Yato treasured him as his kid, and as long as he could, Yukine vowed to treasure Yato too.

* * *

 **That's all folks (unless you read the omake below)! I certainly had a blast writing this and I hope you guys enjoyed the read!**

 **Also, to the reviewers that asked, please know that I actually plan to post a lot more Noragami fanfiction, so keep a look out for me or follow me if you're interested to see more Yato and Yukine family-centric stories! Until then, my friends, goodbye!**

* * *

 **OMAKE**

"What is this?!" Yukine screeched, grabbing Yato by his tracksuit collar and glaring at him.

His master wasn't looking at him as he gaped in the face of the swarm of gods tossing yen and quite literarily making it rain all over them in the hallways of Takamagahara.

"I'll pay 1,000 for your blessed regalia!"

"I'll give you double that!"

"I'll triple it!"

"10,000!"

A coin struck Yato's chin, and the pain brought him back to reality. "I-I don't know!"

"You don't know?!" Yukine scowled at him, and then shoved a smart phone in his face. "Then what's this?!"

Yato could only see a blurred picture so pulled back until he could make out the posting on some social media site. "Blessed Regalia Auction being hosted by Yatogami in Takamagahara today-" He stopped reading out loud when Yukine started shaking him.

"I knew you were trying to sell me!"

Yato threw his hands up in surrender. "W-Wait, I really don't know what's going on!" Suddenly an idea hit him -or maybe that was another yen coin. "It wasn't Kazuma who showed you that post by any chance, right?"

Yukine's anger ebbed, but his eyes were narrowed as he fought off some enthusiastic gods with the math textbook he had accidentally brought with him. "Yeah, he was. This is his cellphone, why?"

Yato nearly smacked himself in the forehead, but another coin flew at him and did the job for him. "Ow... Well, I figured this would happen eventually."

"What?" Yukine asked because he really couldn't hear over the crowd and was busy smacking another grabby hand away.

"Yukine, it seems you've been caught up in Kazuma's payback for the whole kissing Bishamon thing."

Yukine blinked, knocking back another hand without glancing back at it. "Oh, that makes sense. So how do we get out of here?"

Yato mulled it over, looked over the rampant crowd closing in on them, and decided there was but one way to save his kid and look awesome doing it.

"Sekk-"

"That's a terrible plan." Yukine cut in and Yato deflated.

"Yeah, okay, let's just run."

They fled and the mob of gods and goddesses gave chase while launching yen and bills alike at them.

"We love you, Yukine!"

"Yato!"

"Hands off my kid!"

And somewhere out there, Kazuma sipped his tea and smirked.

 **THE END**


End file.
